September 16, 2018(KSL-TV) - Utah Foundation President Peter Reichard appeared on KSL-TV’s Sunday Edition to talk about the new research report Utah Foundation Quality of Life Survey: Measuring Utahns’ Perceptions of their Communities, Personal Lives. Reichard and host Dave McCann discussed the report’s findings on affordable housing, religious affiliation and a decline in the Quality of Life Index in spite of Utah’s strong economy.
September 16, 2018(Salt Lake Tribune) - In the K-12 education arena, battle lines can be drawn in numerous areas: curriculum content, school choice, teacher qualifications, school taxes, governance – the list goes on. But one area in which there is broad consensus is the notion that, to the extent feasible, impediments to student success ought to be lifted. Each child ought to have a fair shot at academic achievement. That challenge is a top concern of the Governor’s Education Excellence Commission, … Continued
September 13, 2018(KNRS) - Peter Reichard, President of the Utah Foundation, joins the show to discuss the results of the group’s latest Utah Quality of Life Index, which shows a decline in quality of life despite a growing economy. (Note: interview begins at 76 minutes 40 seconds into the program.)
September 14, 2018(Daily Herald) - According to the Utah Foundation Quality of Life Index, Utahns’ perceptions of their communities and personal lives dipped. Despite improvements in the economy, Utahns’ perceptions of their community quality of life has declined since 2013 from a score of 73 to 70 out of 100. Affordable housing has the lowest rating in the index. Three aspects declined in performance since 2015 to 2018: affordable housing, air and water quality, and good parks and recreation. The … Continued
September 12, 2018(Fox 13 News) - Despite a strong economy, Utahns are feeling more negative about the quality of life in the Beehive State than they have for several years, according to a new research study just released by the Utah Foundation. The Foundation surveyed 800 Utahns, asking about 20 factors related to community satisfaction and seven related to personal satisfaction. The Utah Foundation used the survey to create a Quality of Life Index graded on a scale of 1 to … Continued
September 12, 2018(KSL-TV) - The quality of life in the Beehive State has decreased over the past five years, according to a survey from the Utah Foundation that shows the lack of affordable housing as the top concern. “While people individually may feel pretty good about things, they’re seeing that their community quality of life maybe isn’t as good as it was five years ago,” said Shawn Teigen, the research director for the Utah Foundation. For 2018, the Utah … Continued
September 04, 2018(KUTV) - Utah is failing to provide sufficient funds for its at-risk students, a new study shows. Students at-risk of academic failure in Utah’s public schools receive additional funding in order to raise their performance. However, a new study titled A Level Playing Field? Funding for Utah Students at Risk of Academic Failure has raised a few questions about the adequacy of that funding. This study, conducted by the Utah Foundation, examined funding for students who are … Continued
August 21, 2018(Deseret News) - While out walking the other night, I came upon a gray, severe building. Over the doorway were the words, “Asylum for the Politically Deranged.” A white-coated doctor appeared at the door. “Good evening,” he said. “Would you like to tour our facility?” I followed him down a long hallway. In the first room patients were gazing out the windows. I could hear them mumbling, “It works in Portland” and “It works in Scandinavia.” “This is … Continued
August 14, 2018(Spectrum) - About 49 percent of the state’s voters were registered as Republicans, according to the state elections office. A full 35 percent were registered to vote but unaffiliated with any party, with Democrats and other political parties making up the remainder. And Democrats and others who argue they aren’t well represented by the state’s elected leadership argue the one-sided nature of state politics only intensifies the pushback. A survey of voters ahead of the 2016 election … Continued
August 14, 2018(UtahPolicy.com) - It’s well known that Utah falls way short in per-pupil spending for public schools. Utah remains last in the nation in that student spending metric – even though Utah lawmakers have over the last few years pumped more than a $1 billion into education budgets. But now a new study by the Utah Foundation, a nonprofit think tank, finds that the state also is falling short in spending on at-risk students, those who come from … Continued
July 10, 2018(KTVX) - The Future of Transportation event was sponsored by The Utah Foundation, a non-partisan think-tank that facilitates discussions on hot-button issues in the state. Spendlove’s ideas regarding transportation are not new; many states have already implemented similar technology – and Utah is on the front lines of inviting companies and researchers to test new products. Tuesday, a Nissan Leaf – a totally electric, zero-emission sedan – was available for visitors at the panel discussion to ride. … Continued
July 05, 2018(Salt Lake Tribune) - The Legislature and governor, to their credit, have been increasing education spending faster than the national average — with an 8.3 percent increase between 2010 and 2015, according to a study by the nonpartisan Utah Foundation. Still, because of large families, Utah remains last in the nation in per-pupil spending. If Utahns truly value a public education, they need to pay for it. It’s as simple as that. And if just 42 percent of voters … Continued
July 03, 2018(Salt Lake Tribune) - When we set out, eight years ago, to try to make education funding more of a priority in the state’s policies and politics, we were never doing it to oppose the Legislature or make the Legislature or legislators look bad in this. We wanted to work with them, we wanted to find a solution. We weren’t necessarily set on one tax or the other tax. You can make the case that all of our taxes … Continued
July 03, 2018(Daily Universe (BYU)) - The win is certainly something for Romney to celebrate, but his next task is getting Utah voters to the polls this fall. According to the Utah Foundation, Utah has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the nation. In 2014, less than 30 percent of Utah residents voted in the primary election. But because Utah tends to vote Republican, the primary often decides the election. For many Utah voters, it is hard to see … Continued
July 01, 2018(Salt Lake Tribune) - The sales tax is accounts for 88 cents of every dollar that goes to Utah’s general fund – the money that’s most flexible in meeting the state’s changing needs. The sales tax is a key revenue source for local governments too. The sales tax also offers an advantage to state and local governments as a means of passing on some governmental costs to visitors. Virtually every tourist who enters Utah will pay some form of … Continued
July 01, 2018(Deseret News) - Just over half of Americans now live in areas they consider suburban (with the remainder roughly split between urban and rural). More than 90 percent of commuters get to work by car. On average, we spend about 100 minutes per day in our vehicles. Most of us love our cars. We love the experience of driving, the freedom our cars give us to travel and the flexibility to live in a place that best fits … Continued
June 18, 2018(KPCW) - Monday on Mountain Money, Renai and Doug crunch the latest numbers from The Utah Foundation on sales taxation in Utah with research analyst Christopher Collard.
June 07, 2018(Deseret News) - Sandall would like to find ways to balance transportation, education and general fund needs. He says transportation funding is lagging behind, which requires money from the general fund. Davis is from Brigham City and served as mayor there. He also was a Box Elder County Commissioner for two terms. Davis said as people are buying more services than goods, sales tax needs to be re-addressed. “There was just a study this morning that was delivered … Continued
June 05, 2018(KTVX) - A study by The Utah Foundation found that Utah’s sales tax revenue has essentially stayed the same per capita since 1976. Experts said changes do need to happen, and some ideas include dropping the tax rate. Christopher Collard was the main analyst for the study and notes that sales tax used to be the major source of revenues for the state. “This is the money the legislature really uses to cover most of the cost … Continued
June 06, 2018(Deseret News) - The Utah Foundation just released a study on sales taxes. Among its findings is that Utah has granted 91 separate exemptions to the tax, which cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars per year. Anyone who has been to the Legislature knows how attractive each of those exemptions sounds when it is proposed. And yes, state lawmakers have even created some especially for data centers. But no one ever mentions what one of these … Continued
June 05, 2018(UtahPolicy.com) - Sales tax used to be the largest source of public revenue in Utah, but in recent years, income and property tax revenues have overtaken sales taxes in importance. This is among the findings in Utah Foundation’s new report, The Everyday Tax: Sales Taxation in Utah. The report compares Utah’s sales tax to taxes in other states and looks at the factors affecting its growth. It also looks at exemptions and earmarks, as well as options … Continued
June 04, 2018(Deseret News) - A new report analyzing Utah’s sales tax demonstrates the need for continued reform, elimination of certain exemptions or possible curtailment of some state services so Utah can remain fiscally healthy in the long term, its author says. The Utah Foundation points out that during the past 45 years, Utah has seen the nation’s second-biggest decline in taxable sales as a proportion of consumer services. In fact, Utah had the same real per capita sales tax … Continued
May 31, 2018(US News) - A recent report says Medicaid spending per capita in Utah is the lowest in the nation. The Deseret News reports a study by Utah Foundation, a nonpartisan policy research nonprofit in Salt Lake City, says $703 in combined state and federal Medicaid dollars were spent per capita in Utah as of 2016. In the report, which was published Wednesday, the foundation calculated per capita data by dividing costs by the number of total residents in … Continued
May 31, 2018(Deseret News) - Medicaid spending per capita is lower in the Beehive State than anywhere else in the country, according to the findings of a Utah Foundation report published Wednesday. As of 2016, $703 in combined state and federal Medicaid dollars were spent per capita in Utah, said the foundation, a nonpartisan policy research nonprofit. Per capita data was calculated by dividing costs by the number of total residents in the state. Sam Brucker, a Utah Foundation research … Continued
May 24, 2018(Deseret News) - . . . where the cost hits most of us regularly is in health insurance premiums. Utah Foundation’s latest report, “Paying a Premium: What’s Driving Health Insurance Costs in Utah?” found that a whopping 61 percent of Utahns obtain health insurance through employers. This is the highest in the nation and significantly higher than the U.S. average of 49 percent. There are various reasons for this, including Utah’s small elderly population, low poverty rate and … Continued
