Social Capital

#10 Finding from 2025: Significant Social Capital Decline

Written by: Shawn Teigen

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 10th place: “Utah’s Social Capital Index score stands at 82 out of 100, which is a continuing downward slide from 2013, when Utah stood at 96. This compares to the United States, which stands at 44.” The Details Utah’s Social Capital Index score stands at 82 out of … Continued

Utah Thrives: Social Capital Wrap-up

Written by: Dan Bammes

What has all this study and conversation about social capital meant as the Utah Foundation has looked at it from multiple angles? Social capital – defined as the value of relationships in families and the larger community – is an extremely valuable asset, every bit as important as money in the bank for the places and people that have it. Utah Foundation staff looked back on the series of reports about social capital, talking about … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast | Social Mobility in Utah

Written by: Dan Bammes

Over the past year, the Utah Foundation has published a series of reports looking at social capital in Utah – the idea, as expressed by Harvard Professor Robert Putnam, that our connections between individuals and the broader community improve not only our own well-being but that of the places we live and the nation as a whole. One key aspect of that is social mobility – improving each family’s station in life.  As the report … Continued

Op-ed: Why social capital and community life are essential to Utah

Written by: Shawn Teigen

I’m not a fan of affirmations. I don’t have a poster on my wall that inspires me to succeed, nor do I have a calendar on my desk with daily inspirational quotes. In fact, one could argue that my personality is more in line with “Team Building: Sometimes, the most important lesson you can learn is that you’re not a very good team.“ Nonetheless, I’m completely taken in by the idea of social capital — … Continued

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.

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.

Utah Thrives Podcast | Social Capital and Future Generations

Written by: Dan Bammes

Listen to our latest episode of Utah Thrives, where we discuss one of our Social Capital Index project reports: Tots and Tomorrow: How a Focus on Future Generations Generates Social Capital. In this episode, Dan Bammes guides us through a discussion among Utah Foundation staff and board members. We cover the data and importance of these future-generations metrics. Access the full report here.

Utah Thrives Podcast | Social Capital in Utah

Written by: Dan Bammes

Listen to our latest episode of Utah Thrives, where we set the stage for our upcoming series of reports on social capital. We revisit a clip of our interview with Robert Putnam in 2019 and hear an overview of our social capital project by Research Intern Laura Pacheco. We also interviewed Silvia Castro Bennett of Suazo Business Center and Bill Crim of United Way Salt Lake to understand how their organizations leverage social capital to … 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

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