The Finding
Of the 14 research reports released in 2025, there were a lot of key findings. The Utah Foundation’s Board of Directors selected the top 10. In 7th place:
“High levels of social capital are associated with better resource allocation and social cohesion, accelerated economic development and mobility, improved education and health outcomes, stronger community engagement and disaster resilience, and reduced reliance on government services.”
The Details
Social capital was a big part of the Utah Foundation in 2025. The year saw the release of nine Social Capital reports. But what is it? Social capital refers to the networks and social connections that advance the interests of both individuals and communities. Why is it important? Social capital is a key measure of whether Utahns are thriving. It enables individuals to benefit by accessing resources through their networks, and these cumulative individual benefits ultimately produce expansive societal benefits. High levels of social capital are associated with:
- Better resource allocation and social cohesion.
- Accelerated economic development and mobility.
- Improved education and health outcomes.
- Stronger community engagement and disaster resilience.
- Reduced reliance on government services.
A great example of social capital at play was during the flood of 1983. City Creek overflowed, sending water into downtown Salt Lake City. Utahns from outside of city and county boundaries, 10,000 people total, came together to fill sandbags, directing the water down State Street and then to the Jordan River.
The Background
Read more about this finding in its full report here.
And learn more about social capital here.
And here is the full Social Capital Index series.
Coming Up
Learn about the other nine top findings from 2025 in our Significant Statistics blog posts.
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