Blog

Utahns Don’t Like Either Presumptive Candidate

Written by: Christopher Collard

As the field of presidential candidates among major parties has dwindled from 23 to 3 over the past 9 months, the apparent nominees have become clear, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Unfortunately for Utah, its preferred nominees, Ted Cruz among Republicans and Bernie Sanders among Democrats, do not appear to be likely candidates (although who can say how this will all really play out in the end). As part of a small survey following up … Continued

Utah Thrives — An Updated Look at Utah’s Tax Burden

Written by: Dan Bammes

Early in 2015, Utah Foundation issued a research report showing Utah’s tax burden had dropped to its lowest level in 20 years. That was based on 2012 data from the Census Bureau and other sources, the most current available at the time. When 2013 data was available, we posted an updated version on our blog. Then we asked some experts on Utah Foundation’s staff and outside the organization for their thoughts on where Utah’s tax … Continued

Utah’s 2013 Tax Burden

Written by: Christopher Collard

Explore the state and local tax burden of residents across the United States. Hover over markers for more information about levels, rankings and year-over-year changes of the tax burden. Click and drag to move around or zoom in on states on the eastern coast for a better view. Early 2015 you might have seen news coverage from several outlets on a Utah Foundation report which showed that in 2012, Utah had its lowest tax burden … Continued

Utah Thrives — Increasing Utah’s Voter Turnout

Written by: Dan Bammes

Utah once had an enviable voter turnout rate, but that’s dropped into a range among the lowest in the country in some recent elections. The research report Voting in Utah: Analyzing Current Practices and Future Options for Utah Voters, published in December, looked at some of the reasons for that as well as possible solutions. In this edition of Utah Thrives, we’ll hear from Utah Foundation Research Analyst Mallory Bateman, Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie … Continued

Utah Priorities Project: Explaining the Candidate Survey

Written by: Dan Bammes

Utah Foundation Research Analyst Christopher Collard joined KSL’s Doug Wright on Wednesday, April 6th to talk about the Utah Priorities Project candidate survey. This second report in the 2016 Utah Priorities Project looks at the answers given by seven candidates for governor to a set of questions about issues of concern to Utah voters. The questions are essentially the same as those posed to voters in the first report, which identified the top ten issues … Continued

Utah Thrives – Candidates Respond to the Utah Priorities Project Voter Survey

Written by: Dan Bammes

Healthcare topped the list of issues identified by voters in the 2016 Utah Priorities Project survey. That gave us a chance to ask four candidates for governor of Utah what they thought of the issue and what the state may be doing right – or wrong – to address it. The candidates joined more than two hundred Utah Foundation supporters for a luncheon on March 24th and responded to the statewide survey of voters that … Continued

Utah Thrives – Moving Tier 3 Gasoline Closer

Written by: Dan Bammes

Gasoline refined to a government standard called Tier 3 holds promise for significant improvements in air quality for the Wasatch Front region. Local refineries, which supply almost all the gasoline used in Utah, are under a mandate to bring it to the market by 2020. State government is urging them to do it sooner and even offering large tax credits to help get the job done sooner. But one Utah refinery says the gasoline shipments … Continued

Utah Thrives — Better Air Quality Begins at Home

Written by: Dan Bammes

Efforts to improve Utah’s notorious winter air quality have focused on vehicles and industrial sources. But it turns out significant pollution comes from furnaces and water heaters in our homes. That problem has been getting some attention in the current legislative session. Efforts are underway to encourage the installation of new, cleaner water heaters in new construction. They emit far lower levels of nitrogen oxides, or NOx. The NOx fumes react in the air to … Continued

Utah Thrives — Proposals for Full-Day Kindergarten

Written by: Dan Bammes

The Utah Foundation Research Report Lessons from Our Neighbor: Learning from Colorado’s Educational Success pointed out much broader participation in full-day kindergarten in Colorado. In Utah, 13% of five-year olds attend full-day kindergarten. In Colorado, that number is 74%. Data from Colorado’s Department of Education show the boost kids get from participating in high-quality preschool and full-day kindergarten programs continues into high school. Here in Utah, there have been a number of steps toward implementing … Continued

2015 Top Ten – Transportation Funding & Traffic Safety

Written by: Dan Bammes

The Utah Foundation Board of Trustees determined the issue of transportation funding was the top research finding of the year in our published reports. Highway safety is a related issue, and the question of using mobile phones while driving was ranked eighth among the top ten.   Transportation Funding   The Utah Foundation research report The Roads Less Traveled: Survey Analysis and Research Regarding Utah’s Local Roads included a survey of local government officials from … Continued