The bipartisan State of the Nation Project’s annual report is much like “America’s progress report.” It tackles one of the most pressing questions of our time: “How are we doing as a country?” This year, the project allows us to answer the question: “How is Utah doing as a state?”
As part of an impressive bipartisan effort, the report’s vital indicators help Americans understand the nation’s well-being. To do this, the State of the Nation Project at Tulane University does not measure the United States’ path to success but provides a compass for finding that path.
The report shows that “We are a nation of extremes—extreme successes and extreme failures. For example, “Our economy is poised for continued success” while “Our rising incomes are not translating into greater perceived well-being…”
“Just like the county, Utah is a state of extremes,” said Shawn Teigen, President at the Utah Foundation. “We are doing great on some metrics, such as social capital and family health, and our economy is strong, but we suffer in terms of mental health metrics.”
“State of the States” Utah Report Highlights:
- Utah ranks well above average in Social Capital (1), Children and Families (1), and Life Satisfaction (4).
- Utah ranks lower in Mental Health (38) and Civil Liberties (39).
- Utah is improving across seven measures but getting worse for eight.
Event: The Utah Foundation – the State of the Nation Project’s Utah partner – hosted a UTA-sponsored “Utah’s Progress Report” event featuring the Project’s first “State of the States” report. The event highlighted Utah’s extremes using the State of the Nation Project’s reports as a lens.
At the event, Carlton Christensen from the Utah Transit Authority will moderate a discussion among the audience and three speakers:
- Shawn Teigen from the Utah Foundation will delve into comparisons between Utah and other states.
- Robert Spendlove from Zions Bank will focus on the economy.
- Laura Summers from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah will focus on mental health.
Watch the event here:
More information:
- Here is the PowerPoint slide deck from the event.
- State of the Nation Project “State of the States” report press release.
- State of the Nation Project website.