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Blog Posts

1412, 2023

Insight: Medical Inflation: Where Are We Now?

December 14th, 2023|

By: Laura Summers Back in 2019, I wrote about “Medical Inflation in Utah: The Ups and Downs of Data and Measurement.” The recent rise in inflation motivated me to revisit the issue to examine current trends and see how medical inflation compares to general inflation today. […]

1112, 2023

Insight: New 2018-2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates Released

December 11th, 2023|

By: Heidi Prior Last week, the Census Bureau released the newest 5-year estimates from the American Community Survey (ACS). These estimates detail America’s economic and social characteristics from 2018 to 2022. Unlike the 1-year ACS estimates, which only describe geographies with populations over 65,000, these multi-year estimates also cover small geographic areas. This means we get data for all of Utah’s counties, small cities and towns, and neighborhoods within larger cities. […]

1511, 2023

Insight: The Hidden Health Benefits of Utah’s Natural Playground

November 15th, 2023|

By: Gracie Capps and Jennifer Leaver Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. […]

911, 2023

Insight: How do the new U.S. Population Projections Compare to Utah’s?

November 9th, 2023|

By: Mike Hollingshaus The U.S. Census Bureau recently published new long-term population projections for the United States to 2100, along with scenarios. The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute publishes population projections for Utah and its 29 counties. Our most recent baseline long-term planning projections and to 2060 were published last year. […]

2410, 2023

Insight: Nuclear in Utah’s Energy Mix

October 24th, 2023|

By: Thomas Holst Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the views shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. […]

610, 2023

Insight: Utah’s Household Trends: A 2020 Census Perspective

October 6th, 2023|

By: Eric Albers and Heidi Prior Hello, fellow Census data enthusiasts! Today, we are exploring Utah’s households, armed with the newest 2020 Census DHC Data. The household landscape changed quite a bit over the past decade. Here are some of the highlights from our newest Fact Sheet. […]

2909, 2023

Insight: Migration’s Contributions to Population Growth

September 29th, 2023|

By: Mike Hollingshaus A new fact sheet explores net migration’s cumulative effects on Utah’s projected population growth – without it, Utah’s population would include 1.4 million fewer residents in 2060. Natural increase (births minus deaths) and net migration are the two sources of growth. Both have been important in Utah’s past, but recently net migration has become more prominent. That trend will likely continue, though our  projections maintain positive natural increase in Utah through 2060. […]

2709, 2023

Insight: Concerns About Affordability Continue to Frame Utah’s Changing Health Care Coverage Landscape

September 27th, 2023|

By: Melanie Beagley The last decade saw significant changes to the health care coverage landscape in Utah and across the U.S. The passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) ushered in efforts to expand health care coverage to population groups historically uninsured or underinsured, including households living near or below the federal poverty level and young adults. It also supported certain employers in providing health care coverage to their employees[i],[ii] and prohibited health plans from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions.[iii] […]