Coronavirus-related Research

The Utah Foundation’s 2020 research related to the coronavirus is listed below.

Significant Statistics | One group of Utahns is more likely to contract – but also survive – the coronavirus | June 19
HISPANIC/LATINO UTAHNS REPRESENT 14% of the state’s population, but comprise 42% of the coronavirus cases recorded in the state. Conversely, non-Hispanic white Utahns represent 78% of the population, but comprise only 34% of the state’s cases. Thankfully, Utah still has a small number of deaths, but some notable trends are emerging. Read more here.

Significant Statistics | 40% of Utahns Delaying Health Care | June 15
NEW CENSUS DATA SHOW that massive numbers of Utahns have been delaying health treatment. As of June 2, 2020, an estimated 830,000 Utah adults reported having delayed getting medical care in the previous four weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic. That represents 40% of the adult population of the state. This is in line with national numbers, with 41% of U.S. adults reporting a delay of medical care. Read more here.

Op-ed: Why you should bet on Utah right now | June 10
ANY MAJOR ECONOMIC CRISIS has a tabula rasa effect, with businesses, investors and individuals pausing to consider big changes. Some will roll out a map of the United States to seek greener pastures. Some of them will decide to place their chips on Utah. Many current Utah residents will just double down. That makes sense, because this state is among the safest of bets. Here are 10 reasons why. Read more here.

Significant Statistics | Wasatch Front area takes lightest jobs hit among large U.S. metros. | June 8
A NEW CBRE ANALYSIS has revealed that the Wasatch Front area was the least hit for year-over-year April job losses among 40 large U.S. metro areas studied. The area from Ogden to Provo saw its unemployment level at 6.6% higher than April 2019. Phoenix and Dallas areas were tied for second best at 7.6% higher. April’s unemployment levels vary across Utah, but tourism-dependent counties have taken the hardest hits. Read more here.

Significant Statistics | Transit Ridership Falls 70+ Percent | May 18
FROM EARLY MARCH TO LATE APRIL, Utah Transit Authority ridership plummeted. UTA’s fixed bus route and light rail ridership settled into a new weekday low in early April, with the decline hovering near the 70% to 75% range until the end of the month. The declines for Utah Valley Express, Frontrunner and paratransit were even steeper, settling into more than an 80% decline. UTA has stepped up sanitary efforts. Read more here.

Utah Thrives Podcast: The State of Utah Embraces Teleworking | May 4
IN THIS EPISODE OF UTAH THRIVES, you’ll find out why teleworking employees are more productive and you’ll hear about the multiple goals the state is addressing through teleworking — from air quality to rural employment. We talk with Jeff Mottishaw, senior consultant with the Operational Excellence Team in the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, who discusses how the state’s teleworking program has gained momentum with the coronavirus crisis. Read more here.

Work Away from Work: The Challenges and Promise of Teleworking | April 15
UTAH FOUNDATION BEGAN A TELEWORKING STUDY in early 2020 without knowing just how timely the topic would become. Following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease a couple of months later, public and private sector responses upended many Americans’ working lives, sending millions into telework arrangements overnight. Read more here.

Utah Thrives Podcast: Coronavirus as a Social Turning Point | March 26
IN THIS EPISODE OF UTAH THRIVES, we examine the lessons from a past crisis and explore how the COVID-19 crisis may change things forever. Read more here.

Op-Ed: How will the coronavirus change us? | March 21
THE REACTIONS TO CONOAVIRUS range from prudence to panic, and there’s reasonable debate about which reaction fits where. But regardless of your view, and leaving aside the economic issues, the virus will probably change the way we live and operate. To begin with, the crisis is exposing businesses, government agencies and vast swaths of the population to new ways of working. Read more here.

Op-Ed: Coronavirus, an earthquake and lessons learned from a past crisis | March 19
THE IMPACTS SURROUNDING THE CORONAVIRUS, coupled with a significant earthquake, have me thinking back to a dark period. In New Orleans in 2005, I watched a piece of American civilization fall into confusion, the city half-destroyed (and my own house looted). But I was lucky, with “only” about $40,000 in damage from floodwaters. This was the Katrina disaster and its aftermath, and I watched it from the front row, working at a public policy organization. Read more here.