July 19, 2016(Davis Clipper) - Domestic violence ranks high on the list of reasons Utahns become homeless, nearly as significant a cause as substance abuse and mental illness. More than half of the Utah voters surveyed as part of the Utah Priorities Project (53 percent) gave homelessness and poverty a high level of concern, ranking it four or five on a five-point scale. The issue ranked 9th among the Project’s top 10 issues of concern. Other facts included in the … Continued
July 16, 2016(The Spectrum) - What also plays into the service provided to seniors are the people who are working in the assisted living industry. A report by the Utah Foundation shows that each county within the state has a waiting list for caregiver respite services due to those same services being underfunded. Dan Bammes, Utah Foundation communications director, explained that the support for caregivers themselves is currently at a low level within Utah. Bammes said there are many people … Continued
July 10, 2016(KTVX News) - Right now, major efforts are underway to address the state’s homeless problem and a recent survey finds it’s a top ten issue on the minds of Utahns. Shawn Teigen works with the Utah Foundation and he joined me on Inside Utah Politics to explain the survey and what it means. Homelessness ranks 9th on the list of biggest concerns to Utahns. They’ve been trying to prioritize their efforts to address the homelessness situation. Most people … Continued
July 11, 2016(Salt Lake Tribune) - The notion that homeless people are all drug addicts or mentally ill, officials say, is misguided. Nonetheless, a recent report from the Utah Foundation — a nonpartisan, nonprofit public-policy research group — states that 29 percent do suffer from mental illness and 23 percent are substance abusers. The foundation’s “research brief” on homelessness and poverty highlights homeless subgroups and the ongoing challenges facing Utahns who seek respite in Salt Lake City from homeless-service providers. The … Continued
July 10, 2016(UtahPolicy.com) - This week’s question: The Republican and Democratic national conventions are coming up fast. How do you think they will turn out (coup? revolt?), and will the parties be unified post-convention, ready for a classic general election? Steve Kroes, president, Utah Foundation. I see that by procrastinating my reply, I have the benefit of this morning’s news that Bernie Sanders will endorse Hillary Clinton next Tuesday. With that added knowledge, I feel pretty confident that the … Continued
July 07, 2016(UtahPolicy.com) - Domestic violence ranks high on the list of reasons Utahns become homeless, nearly as significant a cause as substance abuse and mental illness. More than half of the Utah voters surveyed as part of the Utah Priorities Project (53%) gave homelessness and poverty a high level of concern, ranking it four or five on a five-point scale. The issue ranked 9th among the Project’s top ten issues of concern. Other facts included in the research … Continued
July 06, 2016(Fox 13 News) - Mental health and substance abuse are some of the causes we hear a lot about when it comes to homelessness, but a new study adds domestic violence as one of the top reasons. The Utah Foundation surveys voters to find out what priorities matter most to them. No. 9 on their list is homelessness and poverty, particularly some of the resources available to vulnerable populations. There are an estimated 13,460 Utahns who are homeless on … Continued
July 06, 2016(Deseret News) - Less than half of conservative Utahns rate homelessness and poverty of high concern compared to 75 percent of liberals, according to a Utah Foundation report released Wednesday. People’s incomes also appeared to influence their concern over the issue with 63 percent of people with annual incomes under $25,000 rating homelessness and poverty as high concerns compared to 45 percent for respondents whose incomes exceed $100,000, according to the foundation’s Utah Priorities Project survey of a … Continued
July 02, 2016(Salt Lake Tribune) - Yes, there is a disconnect between delegates and mainstream voters. There is also a disconnect in the number of people who attend caucus meetings and those who vote in the primary. Delegates vie to be actively involved in the selection process of candidates. Listening to neighbors is one requirement of a delegate. The Utah GOP website states, “As a delegate it is your job to listen to your neighbors, ask questions of the candidates and … Continued
June 23, 2016(The Spectrum) - Smith, a former State Charter School Board member, noted that for charter schools to succeed there has to be a collaborative effort not only between the State Board of Education, the Utah State Office of Education and charters schools but an inclusion of the districts as well. According to Smith, one issue that has created a wedge between charters and districts has been the money that is allocated to the charter schools from the districts. … Continued
June 22, 2016(UtahPolicy.com) - The Utah Priorities Project Voter Survey, conducted as part of Utah Foundation’s election year assessment of voter issues, placed concern for the environment at #10 on its top ten issues list. Among its findings: 48% of voters say stricter environmental controls are worth the cost, while 52% say they are not. The results show a wide gap between conservative and liberal voters, with 73% of conservative voters saying more stringent controls are too costly. 93% … Continued
June 13, 2016(What Do You Think, Utah) - Utah used to have some of the highest voter turnout rates in the country and now less than 50% of eligible voters go to the polls. Bill Allred discusses obstacles to voter participation and the Count My Vote initiative that led to the HB 54 nomination compromise law currently in effect with guests Dan Bammes from the Utah Foundation, Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes, political consultant Dave Owen and Count My Vote organizer Rich McKeown.
June 10, 2016(KUER) - 2016 is arguably one of the most important election cycles in recent memory and Utahns are responding. A record number of state residents have registered to vote this year. In a state that has had a historically low voter turnout, tens of thousands of new voters participated in the Republican and Democratic caucuses in March this year. But will that enthusiasm carry over to the general election in November? Listen to the 2nd installment in … Continued
June 09, 2016(Deseret News) - Recent analysis by Utah Foundation shows that our state’s tax burden has dropped to its lowest level in 20 years. Even when accounting for the recent motor-fuel tax reform and the property tax for education — both of which are critical to our future success by improving rural roads and schools — our ranking did not see a significant increase. While our tax code still needs further modernization, elected officials deserve credit for striking an … Continued
June 07, 2016(KUER) - Green issues are capturing more attention in politics these days. It’s true in community elections and in the national vote, according to the author of a new book on energy politics. And the creator of a new political action committee in Utah agrees. Consumer advocate Wenonah Hauter, author of “Frackopoly: The Battle for the Future of Energy and the Environment,” describes an energy industry entrenched in national and state politics. Americans everywhere have started pushing … Continued
June 03, 2016(Deseret News) - Early estimates show that more than 40,237 students graduated this year from Utah’s eight public colleges and universities, as well as Westminster College and BYU. And a report published in April by the Lumina Foundation showed that 47.9 percent of working Utah residents in 2014 had a college degree or certificate, above the national average of 45.3 percent. But the $7,752 that Utah spends per college student isn’t yielding the results for which educators and … Continued
May 31, 2016(UtahPolicy.com) - Steve Kroes, president, The Utah Foundation. I think it’s the new normal… for a little while. Maybe through the next election cycle, maybe the one after that. I have a friend who believes the end of democracy is coming. I am nowhere near that level of apocalyptic thinking, but I am disturbed by the rising sense of doom that has been seducing America for a decade or more. Whether it’s the national debt, changing social … Continued
May 30, 2016(The Spectrum) - Utah voters are unlikely to have a choice they like in the race on Election Day. A survey conducted May 19 by the nonpartisan Utah Foundation found that neither Clinton or Trump was very popular with voters. The survey, which drew from a relatively small sample size of 68 respondents, found that only 8 percent were were strongly favorable toward Trump, compared to 10 percent feeling strongly favorable toward Clinton. Sixty-three percent said they had … Continued
May 29, 2016(Davis Clipper) - A panel of voters who participated in the Utah Priorities Project voter poll earlier this year expressed disapproval of both presumptive presidential nominees, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, in a follow-up survey. The group of 68 voters volunteered to answer additional questions after the much broader poll conducted by Dan Jones and Associates in February and March. While the smaller group is not a statistically representative sample of the population, their answers to … Continued
May 25, 2016(What Do You Think, Utah) - If you haven’t been voting because you feel left out of the political process, this may be why. Utah used to have some of the highest voter turn out rates in the country. Now, often less than 50% of eligible voters go to the polls in the Beehive State. It has become increasingly clear that Utah voters think their vote doesn’t matter. And, beyond that, many feel that the candidates available to them don’t really … Continued
May 25, 2016(Salt Lake Tribune) - According to a report from the Utah Foundation released last month, Utah charters collect about 10 percent less per student than regular public schools, but they have cost advantages, too. They have fewer non-English speakers and economically-disadvantaged students. Add in the public schools’ requirements to provide busing, to build inefficient rural schools and to provide such things as gang-prevention services, and the cost difference virtually disappears. Looking at test scores, charters track pretty closely to … Continued
May 20, 2016(Fox 13 News) - Two quotes from the same Utah voter may sum up the feeling of a 68-member panel assembled by the Utah Foundation. We’ll call the anonymous voter Jane. “I am very afraid Donald Trump will become president,” Jane says. “I do not think that Hillary is a better choice than Trump,” Jane adds. The Utah Foundation asked a subsection of respondents to their broad Utah Priorities poll to respond to a series of questions about Hillary … Continued
May 10, 2016(The Spectrum) - An equity gap regarding academic funding between Utah’s charter schools and district schools is slowly closing, according to a recent report from the Utah Foundation. The 2016 findings, the organization’s third research report focusing on charter schools, credits public funding and recent legislation, more specifically House Bill 444, for the improved per-pupil subsidy numbers throughout the state. That specific legislation put in place a task force to work on issues related to charter school funding. Utah Foundation officials … Continued
May 10, 2016(The Spectrum) - There is some evidence that water has become a higher-profile issue for Utans in recent years, with four years of consistent drought having given it more attention in recent years across the southwest. Water supply and quality ranked as the sixth-highest priority among all state issues in a voter survey conducted by the Utah Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank based inSalt Lake City. In previous surveys done in 2010 and 2012, it fell outside of … Continued
May 05, 2016(Davis Clipper) - On “hot-button” issues such as the control of public lands in the state, Democrats and Republicans diverge widely, with convention delegates taking stronger positions than many voters. An interesting difference turns up on the issue of immigration. Republicans agreed with the statement that “unauthorized immigrants have a negative effect on Utah’s economy and society.” Democrats strongly disagree, with convention delegates taking a more liberal position than voters on that question. However, delegates from both parties … Continued
