Utah Priorities Project: Energy

October 10, 2012 (KUER) - Utahns cringe when they look at the prices on the gas pumps these days, though prices here haven’t reached the levels seen in California this fall. Most of the gasoline that’s refined and sold in Utah comes from oil produced in the Mountain West. But Utah Foundation researcher Shawn Teigen says the price still responds to national and international markets.

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Utah Priorities Project: Healthcare

October 09, 2012 (KUER) - The Affordable Care Act promises to extend the reach of health care coverage to many people who don’t have it now. Critics say it will do that at a huge cost in both money and individual liberty. But the mandate in the law for nearly everyone to buy health insurance has been upheld by the U-S Supreme Court and that requirement will take effect in 2014. The question facing Utah and the rest of country … Continued

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Utah Priorities Project: Taxes & Government Spending

October 08, 2012 (KUER) - When Utah’s economy was roaring along in the middle of the decade, then-Governor Jon Huntsman and legislative leaders were looking for ways to reduce the burden of taxes on Utah’s economy. It seemed as though there was plenty of new money to raise pay for teachers, build new roads and expand the reach of social services.

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Utah Priorities Project: Higher Education

October 05, 2012 (KUER) - Higher education dropped out of the Utah Foundation’s survey of voter concerns over the past couple of election cycles, but it turned up again in its 2012 poll. It’s risen to the 6th position in the ranking of top ten issues identified by the Utah Priorities Project.

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Utah Priorities Project: Environmental Issues

October 04, 2012 (KUER) - Concern about the environment moved up a notch this year in the Utah Foundation’s survey of issues important to voters. And while there are many aspects of that issue to look at, voters insist air pollution is at the top of their environmental agenda

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Utah Priorities Project: Partisan Politics

October 03, 2012 (KUER) - The increasing polarization of the political process in Utah and across the nation is the next issue identified by the Utah Foundation as part of its Utah Priorities Project. In their open-ended survey, voters ranked partisan politics the 8th most important concern.

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Utah Foundation Releases Series of Policy Briefs

October 02, 2012 (KCPW) - The research-oriented Utah Foundation is releasing a series of 10 policy briefs this month on what Utah voters view as the most important issues election year, starting with immigration. Utah Foundation Research Director Morgan Lyon Cotti says this is the 4th election cycle they’ve surveyed voters, and says this year’s number one issue is jobs and the economy.

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Utah Priorities Project: Poverty

October 02, 2012 (KUER) - In the second part of KUER’s series The Utah Priorities Project, Utah Foundation researchers take a look at poverty in Utah. It’s an issue that is new to the list of top ten issues identified by voters in a statewide survey, coming in at #9.

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4th District candidates get fired up in KSL debate

September 27, 2012 (KSL TV) - One of the most closely watched political races in Utah this year is the 4th Congressional District. It\’s been filled with dueling attacks, contention and big money ads. \r\n \r\n Thursday night, the two candidates vying for the spot — Rep. Jim Matheson and Saratoga Springs Mayor Mia Love — faced off in a live debate on KSL 5 News at 6:30 p.m.

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USBE Recommends Funding Increase

September 13, 2012 (Utah Public Education) - A new report out of the national Center on Budget and Policy Priorities quantified the recent decline in education funding in Utah. Between 2008 and today, according to the report, Utah funding for schools “plunged by more than 8 percent.\”

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United for Common Core

August 16, 2012 (Salt Lake Tribune) - When compared to states that share similar demographics, parental education levels and poverty rates, Utah consistently ranks near the bottom for education performance and policy. A recent report from the Utah Foundation found that our students often rank last on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in math, reading and science tests.

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Democratic and patriotic

July 12, 2012 (The Daily Herald) - Every so often, the political scientists at BYU take the temperature of Utah, answering questions like who would win in a cage fight between Dan Liljenquist and Orrin Hatch, or probing the relationship between moderate Republicans, conservative Republicans and I-want-to-have-Sarah-Palin\’s-baby Republicans, or what percentage of Utahns are voting for Mitt Romney because they think he\’s from Utah.

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Volunteerism Doesn’t Translate into Higher Voter Turnout in Utah

July 07, 2012 (Utah Data Points) - In a report written by the Utah Foundation about voter turnout in Utah, we explored the idea that gratification or duty affect whether a person votes. This is a very difficult and subjective thing to measure, but political science and behavioral research has shown that there is a very close tie between volunteering and political participation.1 Therefore, volunteerism provides a similar though equally subjective measure of gratification, and may also provide a baseline to understand … Continued

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Rich McKeown discusses PPACA ruling

June 29, 2012 (Salt Lake Chamber) - On Thursday the Supreme Court ruled to uphold President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Within four hours after the Supreme Court’s ruling on the constitutionality of the policy more commonly known as “Obamacare,” Rich McKeown, president and CEO of Leavitt Partners, a Salt Lake City-based health policy think tank, stepped forward with these remarks on health care reform.

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Do uncompetitive elections hurt turnout in Utah?

June 25, 2012 (Utah Data Points) - Utah historically has had a high voter turnout rate. Throughout the first half of last century, it was well above the national average. However, it has declined substantially over the past several decades, and is now not only well below the national average, but in the 2010 mid-term election was one of the lowest in the country.

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Study: Voter Turnout Continues to Drop

June 19, 2012 (Utah Policy) - While county clerks in Utah are trying to increase voter turnout through absentee balloting, early voting and voter information efforts, a new Utah Foundation study shows Utah’s voter participation has steadily dropped over the last few decades.

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Partisanship Top Concern Among Voters

June 18, 2012 (KCPW) - A new report studies the links between rising political partisanship and declining voter turnout in Utah. And it’s a major concern for voters, landing as one of the top ten issues on Utah Foundation’s 2012 Utah Priorities Survey. So is partisanship at an all-time high in the state, and if so, what’s the impact? KCPW’s Jeff Robinson spoke with Utah Foundation President Steve Kroes to learn more.

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