November 16, 2015(Utah Public Radio) - The amount of student debt across the country adds up to almost 1.3 trillion dollars. As a comparison, that is almost how much US currency is in circulation today. Last Thursday students across the country gathered on college campuses for the Million Student March, calling for free tuition at public universities, cancellation of all student debt, and implementation of a $15 minimum hourly wage for university employees. Today on the program we speak with attendants … Continued
November 10, 2015(Law360) - The groups argued that the earmarks are unfunded and have effectively been diverted from education and social services. Christopher Collard, a research analyst at the Utah Foundation, said the foundation has not staked a position on the issue but the commission’s move shows that it values “accountability and transparency” in budgeting. “It will also be interesting to see whether this recommendation has any effect on Utah’s largest earmark, a constitutional earmark dedicating all of Utah’s … Continued
November 05, 2015(KUER) - Kennecott is laying off 65 salaried workers from support services. 40 employees will be moved into alternate roles and 74 open positions will not be filled. Company spokesperson Kyle Bennett says there are lingering impacts from the massive landslide that occurred in 2013 at the Bingham Canyon Mine. Two years later, workers are still removing debris from the site . . . According to the Utah Foundation, the state’s exports are dominated by the precious … Continued
October 27, 2015(UtahPolicy.com) - Utah seniors want to age in place at home. Staying in their own homes is also more cost-effective than entering residential facilities. But a new study from Utah Foundation shows many of the programs they depend on are inadequately funded. Without these programs, the risk increases that seniors will need to enter expensive full-time care facilities. As a fiscal matter, it is more expensive to subsidize these facilities than to fund services to help seniors … Continued
October 28, 2015(KUTV) - The amount of senior citizens in Utah is increasing quickly, according to the state, it’s so fast we are not prepared for that growth. In a study done by the research organization “Utah Foundation” it’s predicted that by the year 2030 Utah’s senior population will make up 13 percent of Utah. State officials say, people are just living longer, which is a positive yet overwhelming reality to keep up with. “The senior population of Utah … Continued
October 26, 2015(The Spectrum) - Instead of heading into nursing homes or other residential facilities, seniors prefer staying at home as they age, and research indicates the rest of society should want the same thing — it saves taxpayers the huge expense of assisted living. But as Utah’s population grows older and more baby boomers move into retirement, the state is facing a massive challenge in offering the types of services seniors need to stay homebound, according to research released … Continued
October 26, 2015(Salt Lake Tribune) - Utah’s senior population is on the rise and predicted to make up 13 percent of the population by 2030, according to a report released today by the Utah Foundation. “There’s currently no statewide plan to address this growing population,” said Utah Foundation research analyst and author of the report Melissa Proctor. She said that was one of the most “striking” findings of the study, which she and her team conducted upon the request of Mountainland … Continued
October 21, 2015(City Weekly) - Reports say Google Fiber is coming to Salt Lake City. But that’s only one notch in Utah’s connectivity belt. A recent Utah Foundation report said 96 percent of Utah households have access to broadband services, making the state “one of the top states in the nation for broadband availability.” The report, “21st Century Infrastructure: How Broadband Internet Has Shaped and Is Shaping Utah,” cites public investment in systems like UTOPIA (oops, the Salt Lake City … Continued
October 19, 2015(BroadbandBreakfast.com) - Utah has been leading the nation in many areas of broadband internet access and its proliferation, according to a report released on Wednesday by the non-profit Utah Foundation. “Utah’s history of investing early and its collaboration among many public and private entities has helped develop an infrastructure that can support the local business climate, including Utah’s expanding tech sector which is heavily reliant on high-capacity networks,” reads the report, by Shawn Teigen, Christopher Collard and … Continued
October 14, 2015(UEN News) - The Utah Education and Telehealth Network has been instrumental in helping Utah residents gain access to broadband Internet services, a new report says. The Utah Foundation released a research report titled “21st Century Infrastructure: How Broadband Internet has Shaped and Is Shaping Utah.” The October 13, 2015 report focused on the availability of broadband service to communities in urban and rural areas of the state. It highlights UETN as the “backbone in helping schools – … Continued
October 14, 2015(KUER) - Utah’s internet infrastructure has better than 95% coverage for residents to access broadband service. Only eight other states reach this standard according to a new study by the non-profit research group Utah Foundation. Broadband service is defined as data speeds of 25 Mbps or greater. Shawn Teigen is research director for the Utah Foundation. He says they also found state and federal government commitments to a healthy internet infrastructure are major factors in broadband coverage.
October 14, 2015(Salt Lake Tribune) - The United States has seen a rapid increase in the availability of high-speed Internet in recent years. Nationally, 79 percent of people have access to Internet with download speeds of at least 25 megabits per second, while in Utah, it’s 95 percent, according to a new report by the Utah Foundation. While broadband is widely available, only a little more than a third of Utah households pay for such fast speeds. Maybe that’s why Netflix … Continued
October 02, 2015(Deseret News) - My anecdotal experience conforms to the findings of recent polling of Utahns conducted by the Utah Foundation of the millennial and boomer generations, which they compared to the Pew Foundation national surveys. Millennials in Utah are a little more conservative than their national counterparts, with less educationally acquired debt, more likely to marry young, be religious, desire to live in a house. Yet they share the libertarian tolerance on social issues exhibited by their national … Continued
September 30, 2015(Deseret News) - Instead, neither the governor nor the majority of legislators understand that the incremental approach to education funding they are pursuing is inadequate. The governor trumpets the additional $1.3 billion he and the Legislature have allocated for education over the past four years. But he still doesn’t understand (or refuses to acknowledge) how paltry that is compared to the actual need. In his State of the State speech earlier this year, the governor said: “Education is … Continued
September 28, 2015(Deseret News) - There is no question that transportation infrastructure needs shoring up, and that includes not just roads but sidewalks and bicycle and pedestrian trails. Forty percent of the money will go to the Utah Transit Authority, which has pledged to use it to expand bus services, which have taken a back seat in recent years to investments in rail projects. UTA’s commitment to use funds for buses makes it easier to support the measure. The remainder … Continued
September 16, 2015(Utah Business) - While times have changed in the last 70 years, the Utah Foundation would still be recognizable to its founders today, said leaders of the nonprofit organization at an anniversary celebration Tuesday. “The Utah Foundation is very much what its founders designed it to be,” said Communications Director Dan Bammes of the nonpartisan fact-finding group. “The Utah Foundation’s mission statement has evolved over the years, but it’s still true to the intent of its original founders.” … Continued
September 15, 2015(UtahPolicy.com) - How fitting that the first Insight Award given by the Utah Foundation should go to public policy experts and long-time pollsters Dan and Pat Jones. The couple, who celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary last month, were honored at a foundation 70th-anniversary luncheon and remembrance in the Grand America Hotel Tuesday. Dan Jones & Associates was formed by Dan and Pat way back in 1980. One of its first clients was the Deseret News – later … Continued
September 14, 2015(Salt Lake Tribune) - Veteran pollsters Dan and Pat Jones will be honored Tuesday as recipients of the first Insight Award from the Utah Foundation, a nonprofit research organization based in Salt Lake City. The pair’s work “has led generations of Utahns to a better understanding of their community,” the Foundation said in a press release for its 70th anniversary gala Tuesday at Grand America Hotel. The event is sold out. In addition to the pair’s polling on politics … Continued
September 08, 2015(Speaking on Business) - It’s interesting to understand how the Utah Foundation, which the founders started in 1945 just after World War II, was based on the same principles that are alive and well in Utah today. The purpose is to provide research as an independent voice, looking objectively at the economy, taxes and our government to understand it better. And now, the Utah Foundation is celebrating 70 years.
September 02, 2015(The Spectrum) - The certified tax rate in most parts of Washington County is a little over 1 percent. According to a report released this year by the Utah Foundation, Utah’s tax burden was at $11.60 per $1,000 of personal income in 2014, the lowest it’s been since the early 1990s. The report, which looked at income tax, sales tax, property tax, corporate income tax and other taxes and fees, ranks Utah as having the 21st highest tax … Continued
September 02, 2015(Deseret News) - In 1928, a survey by the Union Trust Co. of Cleveland estimated there were 3 million miles of roads in the United States. Today there are nearly 4 million. But not every mile is created equal. Today’s figure includes an interstate system and impressive urban superhighways. And yet we still aren’t keeping up. Utah’s tax increases came in part after a Utah Foundation study in 2013 estimated it would take about $11 billion more in … Continued
August 22, 2015(Daily Herald) - As a new school year begins, Utah Valley University is positioned stronger than ever to provide our students an outstanding university experience, preparing them for a successful career and fulfilling life. Today, roughly 74 percent of Utah County residents attending college at one of the schools in the Utah System of Higher Education make UVU their destination school. This past spring we awarded diplomas and certificates to more than 5,000 graduates, of which 80 percent … Continued
August 10, 2015(The Spectrum) - “Flowing Toward 2050 – Utah’s Water Outlook,” Utah Foundation’s 2014 report, shows that statewide agricultural water makes up 82 percent of our state’s water, while 8 percent is CII, 6 percent residential outdoor and 4 percent residential indoor. Although this report and the Bonneville differ slightly in their percentage of water going to agricultural use, with 90 percent of Utahns living in urban areas by the 2010 Census count, there’s a definite imbalance in the … Continued
August 06, 2015(KTVX) - With just a few days until the Primary Election the five candidates for mayor in Salt Lake City are making one final push. That includes a candidate forum sponsored by The Society of Young Professionals- Salt Lake City. “We’ll have an opportunity for them to register to vote, we’ll have them meet the candidates and the candidates will actually be talking about issues that are more relevant to young professionals,” said Director of PR and … Continued
July 31, 2015(KTVX) - As the largest living generation Millennials are driving markets. Last year they bought more homes than any other generation. In the next decade they are projected to make up 75% of the workforce. Millennials are settling in to the American dream. “Having our own house and that white picket fence,” said Utah Foundation Research Analyst, Mallory Bateman. According to research from the Utah Foundation, national Millennials prefer to live in urban areas, but in Utah … Continued
