August 03, 2024(Kiowa County Press) - (Utah News Connection) The Utah Foundation polled municipal officials across the state to gain their insights into affordable housing. The report found many officials feel they face barriers when attempting to introduce more affordable housing into their communities – and they say those barriers often come from residents. Shawn Teigen, president of the Utah Foundation, said anxieties people may have around affordable housing may not be accurate. “When we think about affordable housing, we think about more … Continued
August 03, 2024(The Salt Lake Tribune) - Twenty-somethings aren’t leaving the nest. Full-time workers are doubling and tripling up in apartment rentals, and grandparents are lamenting kids who had to leave the state to start families of their own. Utahns are struggling with the soaring cost of housing, and state and elected leaders are echoing their concerns. So what, exactly, is holding up the construction of more affordable housing? Some city officials fear that “community opposition” is now among the biggest obstacles, according … Continued
August 01, 2024(Kiowa County Press) - A new report outlines ‘perceived barriers’ to Utah affordable housing The Utah Foundation polled municipal workers across the state to gain their insights into affordable housing. The report found many officials face barriers when attempting to introduce more affordable housing into their communities. And they say those barriers often come from residents. Sean Teigen, who heads the Utah Foundation, says anxieties people may have around affordable housing may not be accurate. When we think about … Continued
August 01, 2024(Public News Service) - The Utah Foundation polled municipal officials across the state to gain their insights into affordable housing. The report found many officials feel they face barriers when attempting to introduce more affordable housing into their communities – and they say those barriers often come from residents. Shawn Teigen, president of the Utah Foundation, said anxieties people may have around affordable housing may not be accurate. “When we think about affordable housing, we think about more density. And … Continued
July 26, 2024(Deseret News) - I was initially an Olympics naysayer, routinely asking, “What is the point in spending so much on sports?” During the leadup and throughout the 2002 Games, I realized that maybe I’d sold short the Olympics’ upsides. To me, it became transformational, as the sense of community I’d felt was unlike any I’d seen since moving to the state. Now, I’m a Utah Hockey Club naysayer and cannot wait to be proven wrong again. In my … Continued
July 10, 2024(Global News Wire) - SALT LAKE CITY, July 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Western Governors University’s (WGU) Michael O. Leavitt School of Health (LSH) recently launched the Bachelor of Science in Health Science degree program to enable students to embark on a career in the healthcare industry. The fully online program provides a strong science foundation, preparing students to pursue competitive degree programs in healthcare or join the field of health sciences. “We’ve launched this program to support students … Continued
June 24, 2024(Standard Examiner) - A new report lists a slew of policy ideas to help solve Utah’s housing affordability crisis, from ways to address “not in my backyard” attitudes, to tax policies (including perhaps vacancy taxes) to increase the supply of ownable and rentable housing. The report released last week from the independent research nonprofit, the Utah Foundation, explores a variety of solutions, but many of them are focused on increasing the availability and supply of housing, including encouraging more density and … Continued
June 20, 2024(Deseret News) - Utah’s affordable housing crisis is a dire threat to the American dream for countless hardworking families in our state. This crisis doesn’t just hurt Utah families — if we don’t fix it soon, it could seriously stunt our state’s population growth and economic potential. The Beehive State’s recent ranking as the third-least-affordable place to buy a home in the entire country, behind only Hawaii and California, is an alarming indictment of our current policies. Salt Lake City … Continued
June 20, 2024(Utah News Dispatch) - A new report lists a slew of policy ideas to help solve Utah’s housing affordability crisis, from ways to address “not in my backyard” attitudes, to tax policies (including perhaps vacancy taxes) to increase the supply of ownable and rentable housing. The report released this week from the independent research nonprofit, the Utah Foundation, explores a variety of solutions, but many of them are focused on increasing the availability and supply of housing, including encouraging more density and … Continued
June 20, 2024(News From The States) - A new report lists a slew of policy ideas to help solve Utah’s housing affordability crisis, from ways to address “not in my backyard” attitudes, to tax policies (including perhaps vacancy taxes) to increase the supply of ownable and rentable housing. The report released this week from the independent research nonprofit, the Utah Foundation, explores a variety of solutions, but many of them are focused on increasing the availability and supply of housing, including encouraging more density and … Continued
June 15, 2024(The Salt lake Tribune) - Salt Lake City Council member Eva Lopez Chavez recently called up a real estate agent in the hopes of buying a home in the district she represents. Despite the boom in construction in Salt Lake City’s core, the 28-year-old who represents a downtown district found that there simply weren’t many homes available. The dearth of homeownership opportunities is “a huge vulnerability point,” Lopez Chavez said during a roundtable discussion Thursday afternoon. Lopez Chavez joined Steve … Continued
June 14, 2024(Morningstar) - SALT LAKE CITY, June 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Western Governors University’s (WGU) Michael O. Leavitt School of Health (LSH) recently launched an undergraduate degree program in psychology. The all-online program is backed with research and experiential learning, and trains students in evidence-based strategies that address various psychosocial issues. “We’ve launched the Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree to educate students in multiple areas of the field and build a strong foundation that promotes further … Continued
June 13, 2024(Utah Policy) - Housing affordability is historically low, but boosting it is not out of the realm of possibility. The Utah Foundation’s most recent research, “Boosting Utah’s Homeownership Affordability,” provides numerous strategies that public, private, and nonprofit policymakers can use to help Utahns obtain the dream. “Utah policymakers have taken several steps to support the need,” said Shawn Teigen, Utah Foundation president. “But there is still work to be done if we want to boost home ownership. Our report provides … Continued
June 13, 2024(Standard Examiner) - Labels like “far right” and “far left” get thrown around so much these days that they perhaps don’t mean anything anymore. How “far” one person’s worldview is from another’s is a matter of perspective. But if 62% of people agree on something, that’s the mainstream. This is the datapoint I hope Utahns have fresh in their mind when they vote this June. The primary for the party nominations is June 25. Ballots have already landed in … Continued
June 12, 2024(Cache Valley Daily) - Facebook Twitter Emai SALT LAKE CITY – How you saw Utah’s only gubernatorial debate prior to the June 25 GOP primary balloting apparently depended on which side of the political aisle you viewed it from. To Republican viewers, the debate between incumbent Gov. Spencer Cox and challenger Phil Lyman was a model of restraint and civility. It was so tame, in fact, that Cox called it ‘boring” in post-debate interviews with media representatives and Lyman … Continued
June 11, 2024(Fox13) - LEHI, Utah — There is no election where the economy isn’t one of the biggest issues. FOX 13 News gathered a group of experts at Thanksgiving Point, located on Utah’s Silicon Slopes, to address topics such as historically low unemployment and growing wages. Businesses far and wide are facing challenges, like a 2.8% unemployment rate, making it difficult to find people. “It’s the first time that I’ve known in my 18 years in working in … Continued
May 20, 2024(Public News Service) - More than 3 in 5 Utahns believe the state is on the wrong track and their quality of life is worse today than it was five years ago. A new report by the Utah Foundation paints a bleak picture of how Utah residents feel about their home state. Data in the report found the cost of living and government dysfunction were the most important issues for Utah voters in 2024. Rep. Robert Spendlove, R-Sandy, an … Continued
May 20, 2024(KSL) - Note: The Utah Foundation is non-partisan. Our research is simply referenced in this story which was published elsewhere as a paid political advertisement by Phil Lyman for Governor. Amidst a growing sentiment of discontent, Utah’s political landscape may be on the brink of a seismic shift. Phil Lyman, who is running for the Utah governor’s office, is emerging as a serious contender for the state’s top office. The recent Republican Party Nominating Convention served as a battleground, … Continued
May 20, 2024(Salt Lake Tribune) - When Gov. Spencer Cox announced his plan to build 35,000 new starter homes in the state, he knew that Utahns who have struggled to keep, or even get, a roof over their heads would doubt whether the effort was meant to help them. “I understand that there will be some pushback saying this is just going to benefit homebuilders,” Cox said at a December news conference in a western Weber County neighborhood that sprung up … Continued
May 15, 2024(Yahoo News) - Before the pandemic in February 2020, I was perplexed when “politicians listening to voters” was at the top of Utahns’ concerns in the Utah Priorities Project. The project seeks to uncover the issues that we think the state should do something about. After my initial confusion, that high ranking made a bit more sense. After all, in 2018, Utahns voted to approve three ballot initiatives: Legalize medical marijuana. Expand Medicaid under Obamacare — or the … Continued
May 15, 2024(Salt Lake Tribune) - Kris Crockett has a good salary and enough for a downpayment on a home, but can’t find a house she could afford in Salt Lake City’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. She’s renting now in Marmalade District and loves it, but hasn’t seen homes for sale below $600,000 or $700,000 — and doesn’t feel comfortable paying $500,000 for a town home. “It’s kind of demoralizing and depressing how out of reach it is right now and how … Continued
May 15, 2024(Deseret News) - Before the pandemic in February 2020, I was perplexed when “politicians listening to voters” was at the top of Utahns’ concerns in the Utah Priorities Project. The project seeks to uncover the issues that we think the state should do something about. After my initial confusion, that high ranking made a bit more sense. After all, in 2018, Utahns voted to approve three ballot initiatives: Legalize medical marijuana. Expand Medicaid under Obamacare — or the … Continued
May 13, 2024(Salt Lake Tribune) - Much like May blossoms, Utah’s latest attempt to ease its housing crisis is unfolding with the spring home shopping season. Yet this big-dollar gambit to spur construction of 35,000 new starter homes across the state in five years is meant not so much at helping today’s would-be buyers as it is in averting a worse hit later. Gov. Spencer Cox, his new housing czar and the Republican-dominated Legislature have aligned $300 million in subsidized loans for builders and … Continued
May 08, 2024(Salt Lake City Weekly) - The Day the Music Died The creative tension between sports and arts may be a given—but the existential battle for dominance in Salt Lake City is not. The city and state governments have been giddy at the prospect of hosting major league sports in downtown, but now the effort appears to be at the expense of the Utah Symphony. The Legislature has authorized financing to help a National Hockey League team settle in. It’s all … Continued
May 05, 2024(ABC4) - The Utah Foundation’s Chris Collard joins the show to share insights into the issues that are top of mind for Utah voters. From housing to political discourse, the Utah Foundation asked voters to rank issues based on their perceived importance. The data that came back shines a light on where voters stand. Collard explains the findings.
