Economy

Moving up the Economic Ladder: An Analysis of Economic Mobility in Utah

Written by: Shawn Teigen

The opportunity for upward mobility as the result of individual effort is viewed as one of the defining characteristics of the U.S. economy. However, data show Utah has been experiencing growing inequality since the 1980s. While inflation-adjusted income actually fell for the bottom four fifths of families in the first half of this decade, it increased by more than $6,000 for families in the top fifth.

Spending Your Tax Dollars: An Update on State Spending Trends and the Impact of the Economic Recession

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

The April 2010 Utah Priorities Survey conducted by Utah Foundation indicated government spending ranked number two of the top ten issues and concerns among Utah voters. While government spending has been a concern for Utahns in past surveys, it is likely that the recent economic recession contributed to the topic’s continuing relevance and Utahns’ continuing concern for how governments utilize tax money.

Has America’s Consumer Spending Bubble Popped?

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

Since the 1980s, Americans have saved progressively less of their incomes. A few years ago, consumer saving was at its lowest level since the Great Depression. This long downward trend in savings occurred during a time of economic prosperity and was coupled with increasing consumer spending; some say America was experiencing a “bubble” of high consumer spending, building up weakness in the American economy. During the recent recession, personal saving increased and spending slowed. Has … Continued

United Way of Salt Lake Priority Area and Capacity Assessment

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

The purpose of this assessment is to prioritize the specific needs, objectives, and strategies on which UWSL will focus its community impact work. UWSL contracted with Utah Foundation to conduct this assessment, which is a year-long project involving focus groups, surveys, data collection, research, and analysis. During the first stage of the assessment, Utah Foundation held focus groups with UWSL’s Change Councils, main funders, and staff to determine and gain consensus about what the vision … Continued

The 2010 Utah Priorities Survey of Party Delegates and Voters

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

As part of the 2010 Utah Priorities Project, Utah Foundation, KSL Television and Radio, Deseret News, and the Hinckley Institute sponsored a ground-breaking survey of Utah voters and delegates to the major party conventions. The survey shows distinct differences between party delegates and voters, with delegates usually taking more zealous positions than their party’s voters. The strongest distinctions are, as expected, between the two major parties. The survey also provides insight on Republican delegates’ opinions … Continued

The 2010 Utah Priorities Survey: The Top Issues and Concerns of Utah Voters for the 2010 Election

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

In this special election year, Utahns are less confident that the state is heading in the right direction than they were two years ago. Their concerns about some issues, like energy and transportation, have eased since 2008. However, other issues are now of greater concern, including the economy, government spending, the ethics of elected officials, and states’ rights versus the federal government.

Preparing Utah’s Workforce for 21st Century Jobs

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

Because workforce quality is directly related to labor productivity and output, it is a key determinant of economic growth. Therefore having a well-prepared, knowledgeable, and skilled workforce is a necessary component to ensuring positive economic growth in Utah. Preparing Utah’s workforce for high-growth, high-wage jobs is also critical to maintaining both the competitiveness and standard of living of Utah’s workers. With the economy shifting and the presence of global competitors increasing, Utah workers must understand … Continued

2010 Economic Report to the Governor

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

Each year, Utah Foundation writes a chapter on regional and national economic comparisons for the Economic Report to the Governor. This chapter compares Utah with other states, highlighting the Mountain states, covering population growth, wages, household income, employment and unemployment, and poverty rates. While Utah has fared somewhat better than its neighboring states, it has not been immune to the economic downturn. Utah had the fastest growing population in the nation in 2008, but like … Continued

Utah’s Housing Market: Have We Hit Bottom Yet?

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

This fall, the national economy started to show signs of recovery from the recession, while home prices began stabilizing or even slightly rising in many U.S. cities. However, past experience shows that the Utah economy, and particularly the housing market, does not always follow national trends. This has certainly been the case over the last decade or so, during which time Utah’s housing market has lagged behind the rest of the nation in both its … Continued

Educational Attainment: Utah Falling Behind National Trends

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

While Utah consistently surpassed the national average in terms of the percent of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher between 1940 and 2000, Utah’s national ranking fell from fifth to 16th during that sixty-year period. Recent data show that Utah’s ranking has continued to follow this downward trend from 2000 to 2008 as well. While both the percent of Utah and U.S. adults with a bachelor’s degree and higher have increased over the last … Continued