Blog

Broadband Internet Ties Utah Together

Written by: Dan Bammes

Utah, as it turns out, has better high-speed internet access than most other states. A new report from Utah Foundation says government action has had a role to play in that — from local initiatives such as Utopia and iProvo to statewide systems such as the Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN). While some of the local initiatives have had a rocky start, they’ve also helped to set the standard for the expansion of private … Continued

Utah’s Gender Wage Gap

Written by: Christopher Collard

Last October there was some buzz created by 24/7 Wall St ranking Utah as the number one worst state for women. The gender wage gap, or the difference in pay between an equally skilled, equally experienced man and woman was one factor used in the ranking. Estimating the pay gap is somewhat difficult. Numerous factors determine wages such as, skills, education, experience, and others. Using U.S. Census data we attempt to deconstruct the gender wage … Continued

Utah Foundation History: 70 Years of Informing Utah’s Future

Written by: Dan Bammes

Utah Foundation celebrated its 70th anniversary with a luncheon at the Grand America hotel on September 15th. Those in attendance learned about the business leaders who felt a need for a non-partisan research organization to study Utah’s tax policies and other issues. Here’s a PowerPoint presentation that looks at some of the people and issues that brought Utah Foundation into being — and set the agenda it still follows today. 70 Years of Informing Utah’s … Continued

Does Student Debt Slow Utah Millennials Down?

Written by: Christopher Collard

Does Student Debt Slow Utah Millennials Down? The ballooning amount of student debt is startling. Across the country, it adds up to almost 1.3 trillion dollars in total. As a comparison, that is almost how much US currency is in circulation today. Moreover, the majority of that debt is carried by a demographic (22-26 year olds) that needs its borrowing power. A lot of research has shown that a high level of student debt slows … Continued

Did Utah Boomers Boom?

Written by: Christopher Collard

It is only this year that the national Millennial Generation overtook the Baby Boom Generation. Yet in Utah, the Millennial Generation was larger than the Baby Boom Generation more than 15 years ago. Why is Utah’s boomer population so small? Was Utah even part of the Baby Boom? Figure 1: Proportion of Utah and U.S. Generations, 2015 Generation Ages Utah National Post Millennial 0-14 23% 17% Millennial 15-34 31% 27% Gen-X 35-49 20% 19% Boomer … Continued

Colorado Education Report Gets Attention from Media, Legislature

Written by: Dan Bammes

Utah Foundation’s report Lessons from Our Neighbor: Learning from Colorado’s Educational Success drew substantial coverage in Utah news media after its release July 7th. It was featured on the front page of the Salt Lake Tribune and on the KSL-TV broadcast PrimeTime along with several other news outlets. Utah Foundation Research Director Shawn Teigen discusses the Colorado education report with KSL-TV news anchor Deanie Wimmer   In the report, Research Director Shawn Teigen and Research … Continued

How do you Define a Generation?

Written by: Christopher Collard

This month Utah Foundation will release the fourth part of its report looking at generational differences among Utahns and their national counterparts. The first problem encountered when writing this report is defining the generations themselves. Each organization has a different generational definitions, but the table below outlines some of the more common generations as well as a few alternatives.   Most Common Generations Generation Alternate Names General Birth Cohort Greatest Generation GI Generation, Traditionalists 1910-1928 … Continued

Legislature Looks at Property Taxes for Water Systems

Written by: Dan Bammes

Utah Foundation President Steve Kroes speaking to the Utah Legislature’s Revenue and Taxation Interim Committee June 17, 2015   The Utah Foundation research report Flowing Toward 2050: Utah’s Water Outlook recommended that Utah policymakers “re-examine the role of property tax funding for water agencies, with a goal of reducing tax support and increasing water rates,” as well as creating “more significant price gradations in block-rate water plans.” The Utah Legislature’s Revenue and Taxation Interim Committee … Continued

Turning Education Funding Around

Written by: Dan Bammes

Governor Gary R. Herbert was asked about the recent Utah Foundation report on growth in Utah’s public school population during his monthly news conference at KUED on Thursday, May 14th. The report Reaching Toward 2050: Education in the Midst of Population Growth urges the creation of a long-term, statewide plan for Utah’s public schools and includes an explanation of how past policy changes have limited the funding base for the expected growth of Utah’s K-12 … Continued

Hay! One Crop is Utah’s Biggest Water Consumer

Written by: Dan Bammes

A center-pivot sprinkler system irrigates alfalfa near Snowville, Utah   A pdf version of this post including end notes is available here.   Once again this summer, all of us in Utah will be urged to “Slow the Flow” and use less water for washing, brushing and flushing. Not a bad idea – but the water we use in and around our homes represents only a small share of the total water use in our … Continued