The April 2010 Utah Priorities Survey conducted by Utah Foundation indicated government spending ranked number two of the top ten issues and concerns among Utah voters. While government spending has been a concern for Utahns in past surveys, it is likely that the recent economic recession contributed to the topic’s continuing relevance and Utahns’ continuing concern for how governments utilize tax money. … Read more »

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 of change is for each of UWSL’s priority areas … Read more »

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 in the U.S. Senate race. … Read more »

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. … Read more »

Utah voters ranked healthcare as the fourth most important issue of concern on Utah Foundation’s 2008 Utah Priorities Project survey. The high ranking of healthcare reflects Utah voters’ concerns with the current health system. This research report reviews some of the major problems underlying the current system, summarizes Utah’s initial steps for reform, and identifies the issues that need to be resolved for real systemic reform to take place at the state level.

Based on common themes from health system stakeholder interviews, six issues that need to be addressed for real systemic reform include: 1) navigating the federal system; 2) re-aligning stakeholder incentives; 3) improving on the market system; 4) defining affordability; 5) dealing with tradeoffs among cost, quality, and access; and 6) improving the reform process. … Read more »

Since 1991, Utah state government spending has generally grown slower than Utah’s economy, except for brief “bumps” during economic booms. Through most of this period, health spending and transportation capital spending grew faster than the economy, while all other categories, including public education (the largest state spending area) declined in terms of spending per $1,000 of personal income. The most recent two fiscal years, however, brought large increases in state spending, mostly focused in public education and transportation capital projects. … Read more »

Throughout this election year, Utah Foundation will work to provide information, analysis, and public dialogue on the issues that matter most to you as you consider the future of Utah. The project began with a survey conducted by Dan Jones and Associates to understand which issues are of greatest concern to voters. The results of this survey are now available here by clicking the links below.

The survey found that the top 10 issues for Utah this year are: … Read more »

Utah Foundation performed the research for the Community Assessment released in April 2007 by the United Way of Salt Lake. This project involved four research phases: … Read more »

Utah Foundation’s November 2006 report examines healthcare reform concepts suggested by the Employers Healthcare Coalition, a group formed by members of the Salt Lake Chamber. This is part two of a two-part report; the first examined rising healthcare costs and the reasons for high cost growth, and this second report analyzes five reform ideas selected by the coalition after reviewing the findings from part one. … Read more »

Utah Foundation’s October 2006 report examines data and trends on healthcare costs and coverage for Utah and the nation. Data show an increase in Utah’s uninsured population, partly caused by rising insurance costs and the resulting difficulties for employers trying to provide health coverage to workers. … Read more »