Economy

Earning Enough to Pay for Non-Housing Needs: 2024 Utah Priorities Project

Written by: John Salevurakis

This is the third research brief of the 2024 Utah Priorities Project. The Project found that “earning enough to pay for non-housing needs” is of high concern for Utahns. This is particularly the case for Utahns with lower incomes, conservatives, Republicans, unaffiliated voters, and those who are more religious or spiritual. This brief includes survey response regarding where non-housing price increases most affected family budgets. Of nine possible choices, 70% of voters reported that grocery … Continued

Priced Out and Fed Up: Cost of Living and Government Dysfunction are Voters’ Top Issues

Written by: Christopher Collard

Each November, Utahns have a chance to shape government to fit their needs. Ideally, the voters’ voices serve as a compass to correct the course of government and shape society. However, information gaps can preclude an ideal outcome. First, politicians and policymakers need to understand Utahns’ priorities. Second, voters need relevant background on the issues that matter most. The Utah Foundation’s Utah Priority Project seeks to fill those information gaps and provide that background. Priced … Continued

Brick by Brick: Methods of Stabilizing Utah’s Construction Sector

Written by: John Salevurakis

The construction and construction materials supply industries both play a substantial role in Utah’s economy with the latter specifically constituting roughly 1% of Utah’s GDP while being composed of 345 firms and employing roughly 4,569 people in the state. This group of firms supports the overall construction industry which makes up 7% of the state’s economy. In light of the importance of the construction materials supply industry and its impact upon construction and the overall … Continued

The 2022 Utah Misery Index: A Glimpse into the Fiscal Measures of Happiness

Written by: Shawn Teigen

The Utah Foundation has written about happiness. In fact, the Utah Foundation’s Personal Quality of Life survey includes a question asking respondents if they “are happy.” While many Utahns report that they are content, the 2022 Quality of Life project shows that financial concerns are drawing down Utahns’ quality of life – from their perceptions of their communities to their own personal well-being. That takes us to misery. The 2022 Utah Misery Index: A Glimpse … Continued

To Protect and Serve: Meeting Law Enforcement Recruiting and Retention Challenges in Utah

Written by: Christopher Collard

Businesses in Utah have for years reported that they have difficulty finding enough skilled employees to meet their needs. In a 2018 survey, the Utah Foundation found that this difficulty was the top issue “holding businesses back.” But this problem is not unique to the private sector. Local and state governments face a similar challenge, particularly in filling law enforcement positions. It seems to have become even more acute in recent years. This report highlights … Continued

Plugging Into the Future of Electricity: The Economic Impacts of the IPP Renewed Project

Written by: Christopher Collard

Having provided coal-generated electricity since the mid-1980s, the Intermountain Power Agency (IPA) has decided to build a combined-cycle gas power plant by 2025 to replace the coal-fueled generators. The plan, known as IPP Renewed, will include a turbine that runs on a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen, with 30% hydrogen at start-up, transitioning to 100% hydrogen by 2045. Plugging into the Future of Electricity explores the IPP Renewed endeavor and its economic impact to … Continued

Going for the Green: How Utah Can Thrive in the New Climate Economy

Written by: Shawn Teigen

The “New Climate Economy” is an effort to tie economic strength to actions intended to reduce the impacts of climate change. Such efforts are taking place around the world. In the U.S., innovations and other measures from corporations, along with new policies and investments from the federal government, provide states with a range of opportunities to capitalize on the transition to an economy that prioritizes climate-focused strategies. This report, Going for the Green: How Utah … Continued

The Way Home: The Shift to Telework and its Air Quality Ramifications

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Shortly after the start of the 2020 pandemic, Utah Foundation released a report, Work Away from Work: The Challenges and Promise of Teleworking, on remote work. It provided an overview of the potential benefits and pitfalls of the massive experiment in teleworking prompted by the pandemic. This report – Part II – focuses on how remote work relates to air quality in Utah, provides new insights gained during 2020, and looks toward the future interplay … Continued

Insights on Incentives: Optimizing Local Approaches to Tax Incentives in Utah

Written by: Christopher Collard

Utah Foundation’s series on state and local incentives addresses the risks that can come with providing public financial benefits to select private parties. The series explores ways to minimize those risks. This third report of the series focuses on local incentives. This report relies on a survey that compares Utah’s cities and counties with their national counterparts. Utah Foundation supplemented the survey results with dozens of interviews with local governments. Cities and counties in Utah … Continued

Utah Priorities 2020 | Utah Priority No. 4: Jobs and the Economy

Written by: Christopher Collard

In March, Utah voters ranked jobs and the economy as the 12th most important of 15 competing priorities. However, by July the coronavirus pandemic reignited jobs and the economy as one of Utah voters’ top priorities. This mirrors Utah’s record-low unemployment rate in early 2020, which spiked to a record-high unemployment rate by April. While much of the economy is normalizing, the longterm economic strain of the pandemic remains unknown. By many broad metrics, the … Continued