October 30, 2018(Fox 13 News) - Even though there are a lot of new homes being built, many aren’t affordable due to a labor shortage caused by several big municipal projects, most notably the Salt Lake City International Airport. “The valley’s kind of filling in, so there’s a lack of available land and if you add to that the tariffs situation that’s driving up the cost of steel, aluminum, and lumber and other things that you use for home construction,” said … Continued
October 31, 2018(Salt Lake Tribune) - A recent survey by the nonprofit Utah Foundation found that about 12 percent of respondents statewide said their personal housing costs were not affordable — although that number was as high as 20 percent in Salt Lake County. Price increases along the Wasatch Front for the third quarter were led by Tooele County, up 14.6 percent, and Utah County, up 11.3 percent. Salt Lake County’s median home price, by comparison, went up by 9.2 percent … Continued
October 28, 2018(UtahPolicy.com) - Christine Durham, the former Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court, will be honored with Utah Foundation’s Insight Award at the Foundation’s Annual Luncheon on Wednesday. Union Pacific will also be recognized with the Civic Cornerstone Award. Justice Durham received her law degree from Duke University. She worked in private practice in both North Carolina and Utah. She has also taught at Brigham Young University and the University of Utah. Justice Durham served for four … Continued
October 28, 2018(Salt Lake Tribune) - A common critique of concerns about Utah’s education spending is this demographic fact: We have larger families and fewer working taxpayers to support them as a consequence. Nevertheless, there was a time when we put more financial effort into educating our young charges. From the 2016 Utah Foundation report on education spending, “Over the past twenty years, Utah’s K-12 education funding effort — or the amount spent per $1,000 personal income — has decreased from … Continued
October 23, 2018(Deseret News) - Mitt Romney, hot-button citizens initiatives and leftover emotions from the 2016 presidential race are setting up to help haul Utah out of the voter participation basement in the upcoming midterm, according to observers. And Utah Democrats are adding new voters at a rate outpacing their GOP counterparts by almost 3-1, when measured as a percentage of growth. Morgan Lyon Cotti, Hinckley Institute of Politics associate director, said current ballot items and lingering emotions that track … Continued
October 23, 2018(Deseret News) - Housing affordability has become one of the biggest topics in recent public discourse. That makes sense: Housing prices in Utah have increased sharply during the past five years. The median sales price of a home rose from $207,000 in 2013 to $298,950 in 2018. Median rents in Utah have increased from $851 in 2012 to $986 in 2017. From a longer-term perspective, housing cost increases in both Utah and most other Western states have consistently … Continued
October 19, 2018(Salt Lake Tribune) - The ranks of Utahns worried about affordable housing have grown dramatically since 2015 and conditions appear to be the worst for renters living in Salt Lake County, according to a new study. The nonprofit Utah Foundation reports that of 20 measures in its yearly Community Quality of Life Index, public perceptions on housing affordability have seen the largest declines in recent years. In 2015, nearly 16 percent of the state’s population labeled the availability of … Continued
October 18, 2018(Daily Herald) - In a study released Wednesday by the Utah Foundation, residents were asked if they felt their housing was affordable. The answers show a difference in thinking between generations and a difference between owners and renters. According to the foundation, the standard definition of housing affordability is that a household should not pay more than 30 percent of its income toward housing costs, including utilities. That rule-of-thumb of 30 percent was established in 1981 in an … Continued
October 17, 2018(Salt Lake Tribune) - Let’s start with the gas tax. Historically, the idea behind the gas tax has been that it should fund construction and maintenance of roads. And for decades, that worked. But as demands increased, legislators resisted increasing the gas tax to keep up with inflation. By 2013, Utahns were paying a lower percentage of their income toward the gas tax than they had at any time since its inception in 1929, when Studebakers and Ford Model … Continued
October 17, 2018( Deseret News) - Suicide affects a broad swath of society, so it follows solutions must originate from a broad range of sources. But however they come, come they must, for Utahns desperately need help in the midst of a mental health and suicide crisis that isn’t abating. The latest examination comes from a Utah Foundation report released earlier this October. It finds suicides in Utah have increased dramatically across all age groups since the turn of the millennium, … Continued
October 09, 2018(KNRS) - Peter Reichard, President of the Utah Foundation, joins Rod to discuss their recent study on suicide rates in Utah and whether intervention efforts have been successful. (Note: Interview begins at 95:33 into the program.)
October 07, 2018(Spectrum) - Suicides in Utah have soared since the turn of the millennium and require an aggressive societal response to implement prevention efforts and carefully monitor the effectiveness of those programs, according to a new report issued by a Utah public policy research group. The report, prepared by The Utah Foundation, concludes that suicide prevention efforts in the state are hindered by a lack of data collection related to results, making it difficult to determine which programs … Continued
October 08, 2018(Park City TV) - Utah Foundation Vice President/Research Director Shawn Teigen explains our Quality of Life report and why the Quality of Life index has declined since 2015.
October 06, 2018(Deseret News) - A lot of Utahns are assisting with efforts to curtail the state’s uniquely high rates of suicide, specifically among teenagers. But a new report indicates there isn’t much data available on whether these many efforts are producing the desired results, as suicide rates in Utah continue to rise and the phenomenon of suicide remains largely misunderstood. It also points to the fact that Utahns lack access to sufficient mental health care, beginning in elementary school, … Continued
October 04, 2018(KSL Newsradio) - Utah ranks fifth in the nation when it comes to suicide rates, according to new numbers released this week. A suicide prevention advocacy group released a report Thursday addressing what can be done regarding this grim statistic. The Utah Foundation details how Utah differs nationally in its efforts and challenges in preventing suicide, pointing out that from 2000 to 2016, the rate of suicide in Utah rose from 15.8 per 100,000 residents to 24.2, an … Continued
October 03, 2018(UtahPolicy.com) - While public health agencies, schools and other groups are working to address Utah’s rising suicide rates, judging the effectiveness of those efforts will require better data collection. That’s among the findings of a new study from Utah Foundation, Getting to Tomorrow: Addressing Suicide in Utah and the Mountain States. All but one of the Mountain States were in the top 10 nationally for suicide rates in 2016. Utah ranked number five. The Utah Foundation study … Continued
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
