January 06, 2026(CoStar) - …On-site power plants, also known as behind-the-meter systems, could provide between a quarter and a third of the incremental electricity demand from data centers through 2030, according to a November report by investment bank Goldman Sachs. Joule Capital Partners started construction on a data center in Holden, Utah, that will produce its own power on-site, the Utah Foundation reported. Meanwhile, the Stargate data center partnership between OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank is expected to generate much … Continued
December 16, 2025(KUER) - Hear about the Utah Foundation’s Social Capital Index project results on KUER’s Morning Brief. The story starts at 2:23 in the audio.
December 16, 2025(Deseret News) - As usual, Utah is leading the nation on key issues. We explore the importance of this and the political impact. The Utah Foundation released a report stating Utah leads the nation in social capital, defined as how people use networks and social connections to benefit themselves and their communities. Why is this important to citizens and voters? Cowley: Strong communities are the result of strong families and strong churches. Lucky for us, Utah has … Continued
December 14, 2025(Bitgit) - The Changing Landscape of Education and Workforce Investment As technological advancements rapidly transform industries, the traditional value of a four-year college degree is being reevaluated. Once considered a reliable route to financial security, conventional higher education now faces competition from vocational and technical programs that offer faster and more cost-effective entry into the job market. This shift signals a broader reconsideration of how both societies and businesses invest in developing talent for a technology-centric world. … Continued
December 10, 2025(KSL News Radio) - Trust in the federal government is near an all-time low. Pew Research reports that 17% of Americans say they trust the government to do what’s right always or most of the time. Shawn Teigen, Utah Foundation President, joins to discuss why we are where we are and what needs to change for trust to come back.
December 05, 2025(Fox13) - Utah ranks number one in the nation for social capital, according to a recent study by the Utah Foundation, scoring 82 out of 100 compared to the national average of 44. Social capital measures the connections, trust, and civic engagement within communities, and it has significant implications for crime rates, economic prosperity, and quality of life. The video player is currently playing an ad. “Social capital itself is very important just as a concept, because … Continued
December 05, 2025(Utah Policy) - In 2025, Utah had the highest Social Capital Index score in the nation and has consistently been among the top states over the previous 12 years. The Utah Foundation’s Social Capital Index project is a series of reports that measure whether Utah is thriving in terms of its “social capital.” Put simply, social capital refers to the ways in which individuals can leverage connections between people and social networks for the benefit of themselves or … Continued
November 08, 2025(Daily Herald) - Family serves as the foundational unit of society and a vital source of what is called social capital–the value created through social relationships, networks, and shared norms that enable people and groups to work together effectively. It is the benefit obtained from human connections. Its innermost core, the home, receives less public attention, but human connections at home can provide solid foundations for our lifelong growth and development. In the security of a stable family, … Continued
November 08, 2025(Standard-Examiner) - …One indication that we are on the right track is the recent report from the Utah Foundation that ranks our three institutions in the top four among Utah’s public and private colleges and universities, and among the highest in the nation for ten-year return on investment (the ranking is based on research conducted by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce)…
November 03, 2025(Daily Herald) - …Christopher Collard, a senior analyst at Utah Foundation, a nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization, said Utah County turnout for municipal elections has trended downward in recent years. According to Collard, voter turnout among eligible voters — not active voters — in the county was 16% in 2017 and 2019, 15% in 2021 and 14% in 2023. Among registered Utah County voters, there was a 26.94% turnout rate in 2023, compared to an 83.76% turnout rate … Continued
October 27, 2025(Deseret News) - 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
October 14, 2025(KSL News Radio) - SALT LAKE CITY — Utah was ranked as the state with the highest levels of community across the United States, nearly double of the next highest state. The Social Capital Index report from the Utah Foundation found that Utah earned 13 on their community life sub-index score. The next highest state, Wyoming, earned a score of 7. The level of community life in the state of Utah is the highest across the country, yet has … Continued
October 15, 2025(KUER) - Listen to Shawn Teigen talk about the newest social capital report focusing on “community life.” Here is a link to KUER’s full newscast: https://www.kuer.org/podcast/utah-news-now/2025-10-15/morning-brief-oct-15-2025 The story is about 2:27 into the audio
September 26, 2025(KSL News Radio) - The Utah Legislature released five proposed congressional maps for public review this week. In response, the Utah Foundation has added a tool to its website that lets ordinary people try their hand at redrawing those maps. Foundation President Shawn Teigen said they’re hoping to get more people to pay attention to the redistricting process going on right here in Utah. “I think it’s important for people to understand this process. It’s been in the news … Continued
September 23, 2025(Deseret News) - …Thanks in large part to the work done in the decades before and after 2002, this time around, Utah can claim seven “major achievements in the state’s economic success story,” the report said. Dubbed “Utah’s Magnificent Seven” achievements, they are: Economic dynamism and diversity. “Utahns have built the most impressive economy in the nation,” the report said, highly diversified with more than double the national average real GDP growth over the past decade High household income and low poverty. Adjusted … Continued
September 12, 2025(Daily Utah Chronicle) - …A 2024 report from the Utah Foundation, a nonpartisan research firm, reveals that political dysfunction is a top concern among Utah voters. According to the study, more than three in five Utah voters think the state is on the wrong track, which is the largest portion since 2004. Shireen Ghorbani, former member of the Salt Lake County Council, said she believes this political dysfunction stems from inaccurate representation of constituents in the legislature. “There is … Continued
September 01, 2025(KUER) - …Utahns do seem to care about water, though. In a 2024 Utah Foundation survey, Utahns listed water as their sixth priority and Great Salt Lake as their 16th. The survey results also showed that there was a willingness to remove half of a lawn or allow it to be brown during the summer months to reduce the cost of Utah’s water infrastructure investments by 30%. Shawn Teigen is the president of Utah Foundation, and over … Continued
August 28, 2025(Standard-Examiner) - Utah is the fifth-highest in the nation in the ranking of “focus on future generations,” a number largely driven by its high birth rates, which remain the highest in the nation. Also, by its strong effort to fund parks and recreation, according to a report from the Utah Foundation. Nationally, birth rates are shrinking. So are investments in schools, parks and youth organizations. However, the issue is deeper in Mountain states, where the effort to establish … Continued
August 27, 2025(Utah News Dispatch) - A Utah Foundation study found that birth rates and investments in public schools are large drivers in the state’s ranking Utah is the fifth-highest in the nation in the ranking of “focus on future generations,” a number largely driven by its high birth rates, which remain the highest in the nation. Also, by its strong effort to fund parks and recreation, according to a report from the Utah Foundation. Nationally, birth rates are shrinking. … Continued
August 27, 2025(KSL.com) - SALT LAKE CITY — When it comes to focusing on future generations and ensuring their prosperity, how is Utah doing? Is it lagging behind other states in the Mountain West? These are questions the Utah Foundation’s latest report dug into, and what it discovered is that most states in the Mountain West (Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona) have seen a “rapid” decrease in their focus on future generations since 2013 — … Continued
August 18, 2025(The Rod & Greg Show) - Shawn Teigen, President of the Utah Foundation, joins Rod and Greg to discuss his recent op-ed piece in the Deseret News about why social capital, the way people utilize social connections to benefit themselves, matters to Utah.
August 14, 2025(Deseret News) - Utah is often ranked at the top among states, but is occasionally at the bottom. Due in part to the Beehive State’s demographics, we are sometimes number 1, but other times … not so much. For instance, we have the largest families, and in fact, are number 1 in the nation for family size. Relatedly, however, we spend less per student on K-12 education than any other state in the country. Another top-of-the-nation for Utah … Continued
August 14, 2025(Yahoo.com) - Utah is often ranked at the top among states, but is occasionally at the bottom. Due in part to the Beehive State’s demographics, we are sometimes number 1, but other times … not so much. For instance, we have the largest families, and in fact, are number 1 in the nation for family size. Relatedly, however, we spend less per student on K-12 education than any other state in the country. Another top-of-the-nation for Utah … Continued
