Utah Priorities Project

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

Utah Priorities 2020 | Utah Priority No. 7: Housing Affordability

Written by: Christopher Collard

Part I: Priorities Survey Reveals Divergent Housing Affordability Concerns by Age, Political Viewpoint, Ethnicity Utah Foundation had asked about housing prices in its 2008, 2010 and 2012 Utah Priorities Project surveys but housing had never been one of the top 10 issues. However, housing affordability was the second most important issue to Utah voters in early 2020. With the emergence of the coronavirus, concerns about housing affordability dropped to 7th – with just under one-third … Continued

Utah Priorities 2020 | Utah Priority No. 6: Politicians Listening to Voters

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Utah Foundation’s Utah Priorities Project survey revealed a new voter priority for 2020: politicians listening to voters. Utah voters complain that elected officials are paying too little attention to voters in favor of corporations, religious organizations, the well-connected or special interest groups. The fact that politicians listening to voters is top-of-mind for voters also encapsulates sentiments regarding legislative changes to ballot initiatives – given that all three ballot measures passed in 2018 were altered by … Continued

Utah Priorities 2020 | Red, Gray and Blue: The Issues that Unite and Divide Utah Voters

Written by: Christopher Collard

During every gubernatorial election year, Utah Foundation surveys Utah voters to understand their priorities and releases a series of reports as the Utah Priorities Project. The summer 2020 priority list for Utahns overall can be found in the first report of the 2020 series. This report, Red, Gray and Blue: The Issues that Unite and Divide Utah Voters, looks at how priorities are different across party and ideological lines. The report highlights both similarities and … Continued

Utah Priorities 2020 | Utah Priority No. 5: Public Health / COVID-19 Pandemic

Written by: Shawn Teigen

When Utah Foundation surveyed voters in an open-ended poll about their top concerns during winter 2020, the spread of the novel coronavirus had barely been a concern, and did not make the Utah Priorities Project list of top issues. However, by the summer, the coronavirus pandemic ended up as the 5th biggest concern, and drove the major concerns around the top four priorities. Public health / COVID-19 pandemic was the top issue for more than … 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

Utah Priorities 2020 | Utah Priority No. 3: Kindergarten through 12th Grade Education

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Going back to 2004, K-12 education had always ranked among the top three issues in the Utah Priorities Project until dropping to 6th place during the winter 2020 survey. However, K-12 education bounced back up to 3rd place during the summer 2020 survey following the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and school closures. Concern is partly driven by the economic needs of working parents, health risks and educational challenges. As in past years’ surveys, many … Continued

Utah Priorities 2020 | Utah Priority No. 2: State Taxes and Spending

Written by: Christopher Collard

State taxes and government spending has continuously been a top-10 issue for voters since Utah Foundation’s first Utah Priorities Project in 2004. The 2020 iteration of the project is no exception. While open-ended responses often indicate that people feel that taxes are too high, this brief highlights some additional survey questions that offer a more nuanced view. The priority may also get additional attention this year due to the coronavirus and the associated recession’s still … Continued

Utah Priorities 2020 | Utah Priority No. 1: Health Care (Costs and Accessibility)

Written by: Christopher Collard

Health care has been consistently among the top five issues in past Utah Priorities Projects. It was the top issue for 2016, and although it ranked 5th in March 2020, it jumped back up to the top place in July 2020. While relatively few voters considered health care (costs and accessibility) their top priority, voters often ranked it as one of their top eight issues and rarely ranked it as one of the least concerning … Continued

Utah Priorities 2020 | What’s on Utah’s Mind: Voter Issues and Concerns in 2020

Written by: Christopher Collard

What’s on Utah’s Mind: Voter Issues and Concerns in 2020 – the first release in the 2020 Utah Priorities Project series – outlines voters’ top concerns. The project uses surveys to inform candidates for elected office, elected officials, civic leaders and others on voters’ priorities. It draws from a survey taken before the coronavirus pandemic hit Utah and from a second one taken this summer. Health care (costs and accessibility) remains the top issue from … Continued