A new brief by the Utah Foundation found that 71% of Utah voters feel state politicians ignore the will of the people in favor of special interests.
Every year, the Utah Foundation surveys Utah voters on what issues are most important to them through the Utah Priorities Project. This year, politicians listening to voters was the second-highest concern behind housing affordability.
In a follow-up brief released on Wednesday, the project asked whether Utah voters feel listened to, looking for differences in party and religiosity.
Overall, 71% of respondents either somewhat or strongly believed that Utah politicians are too beholden to business, religious, or other special interests, and ignore the will of voters.
This response was especially high in Democrats and unreligious individuals, with 89% and 82% respectively saying they strongly agreed. Comparatively, only 18% of Republicans and 25% of actively religious individuals strongly agreed.
71% of Utahns said they think religion should be kept separate from politics. Only 2.5% of liberals disagreed with the statement, while conservatives were about half and half.
Even if politicians somehow listened to every voter, individuals may not feel heard if their personal views aren’t reflected in how a politician votes or what legislation they put forward.
Utah State Senator Todd Weiler told the brief’s authors that he thinks some voters believe their elected officials aren’t listening if they disagree on issues.
“Part of my job is to listen, for sure,” Weiler said. “But part of it is to think as well.”
The Utah Legislature’s history of altering ballot initiatives was listed as a possible reason for voters not feeling heard. In 2018, voters approved initiatives legalizing medical marijuana, expanding Medicaid, and created an independent redistrict commission to address gerrymandering, all of which were significantly altered by the legislature.
(Notably, the state is currently facing legislation over its changes to the ballot initiative around redistricting and is putting an amendment on November’s ballot to give themselves more power to alter ballot initiatives.)
The brief also considered if fairness on a broader scale might affect voters’ belief in politicians. The majority of respondents in all income levels, especially those making less than $70,000 a year, felt that the country’s economic system unfairly favors powerful interests.
The full brief can be found on the Utah Foundation’s website.
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