Blog

Op-ed: If you feel like something is ‘off,’ you are not alone

Written by: Peter Reichard

Utahns just aren’t feeling as good about life today as they were four years ago. That’s one of the big takeaways from the latest Utah Foundation report, “The 2022 Utah Personal Quality of Life Index: Is the Well-Being of Utahns in Decline?” The report focuses on personal quality of life – based on a survey where Utahns rate their well-being on a series of seven factors. In 2022, the Personal Quality of Life Index stands … Continued

Significant Statistics | The Pursuit of Happiness in Utah: How are We Doing?

Written by: Shawn Teigen

The Utah Foundation recently released its Personal Quality of Life Index. It shows that Utahns’ well-being is on the downward slide, declining from a score of 82 in 2018 to 76 in 2022. But how might Utah compare to other states? We don’t have a national version of our Quality of Life survey, but we can get a glimpse from other indicators. For instance, WalletHub’s recent “Happiest States” rating shows that Utah comes in at … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast | Social Capital in Utah

Written by: Peter Reichard

Social Capital: An Overview of the 2021-22 Series In July, the Utah Foundation released the eighth installment in its Utah Social Capital Series. The series examined roughly 30 metrics in seven topical areas. They included civic engagement, social trust, community life, family life, social cohesion, social mobility and the focus on the next generation. The Network of Relationship: Utah’s Social Capital Index is the final report in the series. It takes together the findings of the previous … Continued

Press Release: Garffs to be Honored with the Utah Foundation’s 2022 Insight Award

Written by: Peter Reichard

Katharine and Robert Garff to be Honored with the Utah Foundation’s 2022 Insight Award Annual Luncheon Features Education Innovator Michael Horn as Keynote Speaker (August 24, 2022) – Katharine Garff and her late husband Robert will be honored with the Insight Award at Utah Foundation’s 2022 Annual Luncheon on November 16 at the Marriott City Creek Hotel. The purpose of the Insight Award is to recognize civic leaders who, through a career of service or philanthropic support, have … Continued

Significant Statistics | Salt Lake Remains Second Highest Metro for Home Price Increases

Written by: Shawn Teigen

The Utah Foundation’s 2022 Quality of Life project shows that Utahns’ perception of community quality of life is in decline. Housing affordability and other costs of living accounted for nearly two-thirds of the overall decrease in community quality of life from 2018 to 2022 The Federal Reserve increased interest rates four times in five months (March, May, June and July) in part to slow inflation. That seems to be having an impact in the housing … Continued

Op-ed: Utahns lead the nation on social capital — but do we spend enough time with our kids?

Written by: Peter Reichard

When it comes to the network of relationships people use to benefit themselves and the larger community, Utah stands apart from the nation at large. In late July, the Utah Foundation released the eighth report in its Social Capital Series, summarizing the findings of the series and tallying the metrics we deployed. Utah emerged with a strikingly high composite score of 94. This contrasts sharply with the national number, 54. Social capital comes in many … Continued

Op-ed: Utah’s economy is roaring, but how’s quality of life?

Written by: Peter Reichard

As the pandemic began, we predicted that Utah would emerge economically stronger than the rest of the nation. That’s what happened. On multiple measures, Utah tracks among the nation’s tippy-top performers. Take, for instance, the GDP growth from 2019 through 2021, the unemployment rate, population growth or the poverty rate. The Beehive State also leads the nation on multiple measures of community and family life, along with social mobility. The Utah economy has been roaring, … Continued

Utah Foundation Wins Top Awards for Policy Research

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Last week, the Utah Foundation was honored with several awards from the Governmental Research Association, a national association of governmental research professionals. The GRA presented the awards at its 109th annual conference and meeting, hosted by the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia. The Utah Foundation’s honors were as follows: Communications Category, Best Video: The Missing Middle of the Housing Market Most Distinguished Research Award, State Government Issue: Going for the Green: How Utah Can Thrive in the New … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast | Improving Community Quality in Utah

Written by: Peter Reichard

What’s on Utah’s Punch List to Improve Community Quality of Life? At the end of June, the Utah Foundation released The 2022 Utah Community Quality of Life Index: Is a Booming Economy Making Life Better? The report focuses on community quality of life – based on a survey where Utahns rate their communities on a series of 20 factors.  Since 2011, the Utah Foundation has measured community quality of life with the Index five times. In 2022, … Continued