Utah Thrives (Podcast of Utah Foundation)

Utah Thrives Podcast | Utahns’ Misery

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Utah Foundation staff discuss the findings of our Misery Index, released in December as part of the 2022 Quality of Life Series. We also hear from Representative — and economist — Robert Spendlove and Dr. Steve Hanke, the creator of the index we used. Just what is making Utahns miserable and how miserable are they? Listen to find out.

Utah Thrives Podcast | Five Years and 50 Reports Later …

Written by: Shawn Teigen

New Utah Foundation President Asks Old One What He Learned   In this edition of Utah Thrives, new Utah Foundation President Shawn Teigen sits down with departing President Peter Reichard to ask what Reichard learned about public policy in Utah since taking the helm during the summer of 2017.   

Utah Thrives Podcast | Finding Space for New Development

Written by: Peter Reichard

In this edition of Utah Thrives, Utah Foundation Vice President Shawn Teigen and President Peter Reichard sit down to discuss the new report, Filling in the Blanks: How Utah Communities Can Deploy Infill Development to Advance Quality of Life.  

Utah Thrives Podcast | Getting Personal and Talking Building Codes

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Is the Well-Being of Utahns in Decline? That’s the question raised by the second report in the 2022 Utah Quality of Life project. The report focuses on personal quality of life – based on a survey where Utahns rate their well-being on a series of seven factors. In this edition of Utah Thrives, Utah Foundation Vice President Shawn Teigen and President Peter Reichard sit down to discuss that report. We also discuss another new report, on building … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast | Social Capital in Utah

Written by: Peter Reichard

Social Capital: An Overview of the 2021-22 Series In July, the Utah Foundation released the eighth installment in its Utah Social Capital Series. The series examined roughly 30 metrics in seven topical areas. They included civic engagement, social trust, community life, family life, social cohesion, social mobility and the focus on the next generation. The Network of Relationship: Utah’s Social Capital Index is the final report in the series. It takes together the findings of the previous … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast | Improving Community Quality in Utah

Written by: Peter Reichard

What’s on Utah’s Punch List to Improve Community Quality of Life? At the end of June, the Utah Foundation released The 2022 Utah Community Quality of Life Index: Is a Booming Economy Making Life Better? The report focuses on community quality of life – based on a survey where Utahns rate their communities on a series of 20 factors.  Since 2011, the Utah Foundation has measured community quality of life with the Index five times. In 2022, … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast | Is Utah Losing Focus on its Children?

Written by: Peter Reichard

In this edition of Utah Thrives, Senior Analyst Christopher Collard and President Peter Reichard discuss the May 2022 Utah Foundation report, The Flowering of Youth: The Next Generation in Utah. The report is the sixth installment in the Utah Social Capital Series. The report revealed some surprising trends nationally, but also in a state that takes pride in its focus on youth. 

Utah Thrives Podcast | Broadening Utah Students’ Horizons

Written by: Peter Reichard

Broadening Educational Horizons, Bridging Socio-Economic Gaps How can Utah inspire K-12 students to look beyond a high school diploma? When looking beyond high school, some Utah students face low expectations, a shortfall in post-secondary readiness, a lack of knowledge around post-secondary options and financial challenges. Our new report, Broadening Horizons: Clearing an Early Path to Post-Secondary Success, not only explores these challenges, but also seeks to reveal the network of supports that can help smooth the … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast | The Middle-Class and Social Cohesion

Written by: Peter Reichard

How does economic stratification look in Utah? Utah is unique among Western States on a key measure of social cohesion   In March, the Utah Foundation put out a new edition in our Utah Social Capital Series called The Soil of Common Ground: Social Cohesion in Utah. On maybe the most important metric, Utah came out on top nationally. On another, Utah stands alone in the Western states. In this edition of Utah Thrives, Utah Foundation Senior … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast | The Surprising Effects of the Pandemic on Families

Written by: Peter Reichard

Prior to Pandemic, Utah Family Life Saw Shocking Declines on Key Metrics The Pandemic Made Eye-Opening Impacts — both for Good and Ill   There’s only so much time in the day, and most parents need to know that they need to work intently to make sure family time is well-spent. And while families in Utah are well-structured, the time families spend at home may not be. That problem — and the surprising effects of the … Continued