Blog Post

By: Eric Albers and Hannah Keating

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™.

Quickly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic the Census Bureau implemented the Household Pulse Survey to track the impact of the virus on households across the country. Our team at the Gardner Institute created an online data tool showing the impact of COVID-19 on Utahns across a range of topics including employment, housing, mental health, education, health insurance, and food security. The newest update to Gardner’s Household Pulse Survey Data Tool includes five months of new data from the recently concluded Phase 3.

Completed Household Pulse Survey Data Releases

Select data from Phase 1 and 2, show that many households in the state were negatively impacted. However, Phase 3, beginning on October 28, 2020 and ending on March 19, 2021, indicates a reversal in these trends, and many of the measures in the data tool suggest that households are recovering from the various impacts of the virus.

Phase 3 data was released in ten separate 12-day increments. The most recent data point, ranging from March 12 – March 29, 2021 shows that:

• The number of households expecting a loss of income dropped to its lowest level during the survey period at 8%, which is down from a high of 27% during April 23 – May 12, 2020
• Renters’ ability to pay for housing reached its highest level since the survey began at 95%
• Confidence in the ability to pay for housing also reached a high water mark for both renters and owners, at 64% and 79% respectively
• Food security peaked with 68% of households having enough types of food wanted, up from a low of 56% during November 25 – December 7, 2020

While the results from Phase 3 are encouraging, the economic and social recovery has not been equally distributed among all groups. Across many measures, younger adults, low-income households, and minority groups still show the residual impacts of the pandemic. Furthermore, these results are for the state of Utah as whole, and local variation undoubtedly exists. To explore how Utah compares to other states, see the Census Bureau’s state comparison data tool.

The Gardner Institute will continue to analyze the Household Pulse Survey data. Phase 3.1 of the survey, which began on April 14, 2021 asks additional questions, including questions about COVID-19 vaccination.

Eric Albers is a demographic analyst at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.

Hannah Keating is a demography intern at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and a rising senior at the University of Utah.