In 2018, the Utah Foundation’s Community Quality of Life Index fell—for the first time—below its starting point from when the survey started in 2011.
Based off of Utahns’ perceptions of their communities, the quality of life index dropped to 70 out of 100 points last year. That’s a “significant” decline of three points since 2013, according to the report’s authors.
“Utah’s rapidly rising housing costs have made many Utahns feel like rents and ownership are no longer affordable,” the report said.
“The perception of that housing affordability has drawn this index down,” said Utah Foundation’s research director Shawn Teigen. “So we’ve lowered our quality of life over time even with an improving economy.”
When asked about their personal quality of life, Utahns responded with a similar anxiety.
“Being ‘secure financially’ is far and away the poorest performing measure among the personal quality of life questions,” the report said.
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