Utah Thrives Podcast | Social Capital and Community Life

Written by: Dan Bammes

There’s good news and bad news in the newest report in the Utah Foundation’s social capital series. The good news is that Utah far outdistances every other state in several key metrics of community life. The bad news is that Utah’s community life index score has fallen by over 40% since 2013. In this podcast, Dan Bammes talks with Utah Foundation staff and board members Ben Brown and Mary Catherine Perry.

Significant Statistic | Preferred Congressional Maps, Local Government Perspectives Part 4

Written by: Christopher Collard

Preferred Maps In 2020, the Utah Foundation conducted a survey of city officials to gain insight into their perspectives on redistricting. One question offered a small sample of maps to choose from, asking respondents which redistricting option would most benefit their community. The urban/rural map was most popular, although nearly a quarter of respondents were satisfied with the status quo.  (See Figure 1.)       A Utah court required the Legislature to redraw its … Continued

Significant Statistic | Redistricting Priorities, Local Government Perspectives Part 3

Written by: Christopher Collard

City and Town Officials’ Priorities When redistricting, the Utah Legislature outlined several guiding principles. These include: Preserving communities of interest Preserving geographical or man-made boundaries Preserving the core of prior districts Minimizing the division of municipalities and counties Maximizing boundary agreement at different political levels Prohibiting the purposeful favoring or disfavoring of a party, incumbent, or candidate In 2020, the Utah Foundation conducted a survey of city officials to gain insight into their perspectives on … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast | Family Structure and Family Ties

Written by: Dan Bammes

Listen to our latest episode of Utah Thrives, where we discuss one of our Social Capital Index project reports: Households and Heritages: How Family Health Hooks into Social Capital. In this episode, Dan Bammes guides us through a discussion with Shawn Teigen, the Utah Foundation’s President, and Bill Crim, President and CEO of the United Way of Salt Lake and a Utah Foundation board member. We cover the data and importance of family structure and family ties.