Housing

United Way of Treasure Valley Community Assessment 2014

Written by: Shawn Teigen

In 2013 the United Way of Treasure Valley retained Utah Foundation to perform a Community Assessment of the United Way’s three-county service area. Work was completed in 2014. The Community Assessment is seen as a foundation to achieve community goals. For the assessment, Utah Foundation analyzed community data as indicators of community success, barriers to reveal hindrances to community success, and opportunities as potential solutions to barriers. To inform the assessment, Utah Foundation held focus … Continued

Roadmap to 2050: Planning for Utah’s Future Infrastructure Needs

Written by: Mallory Bateman

Utah’s population is projected to grow by 2.5 million people by 2050. This growth will result in an older, more diverse population. New Utahns will need places to live, reliable sources of energy to support their needs, and a good transportation network to get to work, entertainment, or school. This report focuses on three important facets of communities: development, transportation, and energy. Water is also a critical element to growth, but it will be discussed … Continued

Utah Foundation Quality of Life Index: 2013 Edition Shows Concerns About Jobs, K-12 Education and Air Quality

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Produced in collaboration with Intermountain Healthcare, the Utah Foundation Quality of Life Index is updated every two years to track how Utahns perceive changes in quality of life and the reasons for those changes. The second biennial Utah Quality of Life Index stands at 78.2 out of a possible 100 points, up one point from 2011. Although Utah’s quality of life rating improved, several of the issues most important to Utahns – public schools, job … Continued

The 2012 Utah Priorities Survey of Party Delegates and Voters

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

As part of the 2012 Utah Priorities Project, Utah Foundation and the Hinckley Institute of Politics have surveyed Utah voters and delegates to the major parties’ state conventions.  This survey was conducted for the first time in 2010, showing distinct differences between party delegates and voters, with delegates usually taking more zealous positions than their parties’ voters.  The 2012 survey also shows differences between voters and delegates, but those differences are not as pronounced as … Continued

Utah Priorities Gubernatorial Survey: A Comparison of Candidates’ and Voters’ Top Priorities for 2012

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

Utah Foundation recently released The 2012 Utah Priorities Survey, which provides a summary of the findings of a statewide Dan Jones & Associates survey assessing which issues are most important this election year and how voters feel about Utah’s economy, society and politics.  For the first time, Utah Foundation also requested that the gubernatorial candidates complete part of this survey.  All of the Republican and Democratic candidates and two of three third-party candidates completed the … Continued

The 2012 Utah Priorities Survey: The Top Issues and Concerns of Utah Voters for the 2012 Election

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

In this election year, Utahns are more confident that the state is heading in the right direction than they were two years ago. However, they are still not as confident as they were in the 2004 and 2008 elections.  Their concerns about issues like jobs and the economy, public education, and healthcare remain strong.  Some issues that were important in the 2010 election, such as ethics of elected officials, states’ rights vs. the federal government, … Continued

The 2011 Utah Foundation Quality of Life Index: First Biennial Survey Reveals Strengths, Weaknesses

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

It is often said that Utah has a high quality of life.  Many people born in Utah live here their entire lives, and those who leave the state for education or employment reasons often return some years later.  What is it that makes Utah such an appealing place to live?  Others from outside of Utah are drawn to this state, often citing its beauty, recreation or employment opportunities as their reason for moving here.  It … Continued

United Way of Salt Lake Priority Area and Capacity Assessment

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

The purpose of this assessment is to prioritize the specific needs, objectives, and strategies on which UWSL will focus its community impact work. UWSL contracted with Utah Foundation to conduct this assessment, which is a year-long project involving focus groups, surveys, data collection, research, and analysis. During the first stage of the assessment, Utah Foundation held focus groups with UWSL’s Change Councils, main funders, and staff to determine and gain consensus about what the vision … Continued

The 2010 Utah Priorities Survey of Party Delegates and Voters

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

As part of the 2010 Utah Priorities Project, Utah Foundation, KSL Television and Radio, Deseret News, and the Hinckley Institute sponsored a ground-breaking survey of Utah voters and delegates to the major party conventions. The survey shows distinct differences between party delegates and voters, with delegates usually taking more zealous positions than their party’s voters. The strongest distinctions are, as expected, between the two major parties. The survey also provides insight on Republican delegates’ opinions … Continued

The 2010 Utah Priorities Survey: The Top Issues and Concerns of Utah Voters for the 2010 Election

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

In this special election year, Utahns are less confident that the state is heading in the right direction than they were two years ago. Their concerns about some issues, like energy and transportation, have eased since 2008. However, other issues are now of greater concern, including the economy, government spending, the ethics of elected officials, and states’ rights versus the federal government.