Written by: Christopher Collard
One national issue unique to the West is that of public lands. Utah, in many ways, has been at the forefront of that issue. Nearly half of all the land in the western United States is owned by the federal government. In Utah it is just under two-thirds. In fact, Utah is second only to Nevada in the share of land owned by the federal government (although Idaho and Alaska are close). Utah is one … Continued
Written by: Christopher Collard
There is certainly a lot of discussion in the state about energy. For example, Utah is seeing historic installation rates of residential rooftop solar arrays, and the Utah Legislature is considering whether to end state solar tax credits early. Additionally, Rocky Mountain Power has a new solar array coming on line from which consumers can purchase blocks of renewable energy. However, the energy topic in the Utah Priorities Survey goes beyond electricity generation to include … Continued
Written by: Christopher Collard
This post continues our blog series on concerns that many Utah voters expressed in our survey that didn’t make the cut for our top ten list. Utah is a unique place. Some of what makes it unique – being very Republican, being young, and having strict liquor laws – stem from one fact: around 60% of Utahns identify as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).1 There are no comparable … Continued
Written by: Shawn Teigen
U.S. Census poverty data for 2015 were released this week. Utah Foundation has particular interest in poverty since it was part of the 2016 Utah Priorities Project. Homelessness and poverty was the 9th most important issue to voters in 2016. These issues are closely linked in that poverty is cited as one of the major reasons of homelessness, particularly when it is experienced in conjunction with unaffordable housing situations, losing a job, or experiencing a … Continued
Written by: Shawn Teigen
This post continues our blog series on concerns that many Utah voters expressed in our survey that didn’t make the cut for our top ten list. Higher education ranked 17th on 2016’s Utah Priorities Project. That ranking came from the main survey question which asked about respondents’ level of concern about “higher education – that is colleges and universities.” About one in five respondents were “very concerned,” which is a “5” on the 1- to 5-point scale. … Continued
Written by: Dan Bammes
Partisan politics – the seemingly irreconcilable conflicts between political leaders that seem to characterize all our public discourse – has been a significant concern for voters the last two times Utah Foundation has conducted the Utah Priorities Project. Voters placed it at Number 8 on the top ten list in 2012 and put it again in 8th place in 2016. Yet it wasn’t so long ago that cooperation between officeholders in Utah’s legislature and elsewhere … Continued
Written by: Mallory Bateman
This post continues our blog series on concerns that many Utah voters expressed in our survey that didn’t make the cut for our top ten list. In the mid-2000s, Utah cities began emerging as some of the fastest growing places in the country. This contributed to “dealing with growth in Utah” being ranked 8th in 2004. By 2008, it had dropped to the 10th spot, 2010 saw the topic fall out of the top 10 and by … Continued
Written by: Christopher Collard
This post continues our blog series on concerns that many Utah voters expressed in our survey that didn’t make the cut for our top ten list. This topic has appeared as a concern four of the past five election cycles.1 In every cycle, it ranked either last or second to last. This year it ranked 20th out of 21 concerns. In truth, equal protection for LGBTQ people is a complex issue in Utah. While Salt Lake City boasts … Continued
Written by: Dan Bammes
Gasoline refined to a government standard called Tier 3 holds promise for significant improvements in air quality for the Wasatch Front region. Local refineries, which supply almost all the gasoline used in Utah, are under a mandate to bring it to the market by 2020. State government is urging them to do it sooner and even offering large tax credits to help get the job done sooner. But one Utah refinery says the gasoline shipments … Continued
Written by: Dan Bammes
The Utah Foundation Research Report Lessons from Our Neighbor: Learning from Colorado’s Educational Success pointed out much broader participation in full-day kindergarten in Colorado. In Utah, 13% of five-year olds attend full-day kindergarten. In Colorado, that number is 74%. Data from Colorado’s Department of Education show the boost kids get from participating in high-quality preschool and full-day kindergarten programs continues into high school. Here in Utah, there have been a number of steps toward implementing … Continued