Blog Posts
Insight: Pioneer Day Update: Utah’s Tourism Industry Shows Signs of Recovery
By: 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™. Pioneer Day weekend is here, but with less fanfare that years past. Due to COVID-19, Days of ’47 parades, rodeos, fireworks, and other holiday activities in cities and towns across Utah have been cancelled and postponed until 2021. Now, halfway through summer, the pandemic’s effects on Utah’s tourism economy are emerging from the data. Utah’s[...]
Insight: The Short- and Long-Term Impacts of COVID-19 on Utah’s Health and Health Care Industry
By: Laura Summers 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™. Rising COVID-19 cases, social distancing, and potential shut-downs are changing the way we think about our health and how we intersect with the health care system. On Wednesday, July 15, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute hosted a Newsmaker Breakfast that focused on the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on Utah’s health and health[...]
Insight: Updated Population Estimates by County, Age, and Sex
By: Mike Hollingshaus 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™. We are excited to publish updated population estimates by age and sex for Utah and each of its counties through 2019. These numbers are consistent with the total population estimates produced by the Utah Population Committee (UPC). […]
Insight: What Negative Oil Prices Really Mean
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 opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. COVID19 has threatened both livelihoods and lives as well as causing surprises in energy markets. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices sank into negative territory on April 20 for the first time in history (see Figure 1). How could negative crude oil pricing happen and who are the beneficiaries? […]
Insight: Utah Is Positioned Well for Summer Travel Amid COVID-19
By: 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™. Since mid-March, the travel and tourism industry has been on a wild ride. Stay-at-home orders amid the COVID-19 outbreak have taken a huge toll on the airline industry and other transportation-related businesses. Restaurants and bars have been forced to close or temporarily suspend their dine-in options, while hotels and short-term rentals have experienced mass reservation[...]
Insight: What Does the COVID-19 Pandemic Mean for Utah’s Housing Market?
By: James Wood 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™. For over 40 years, I have made an annual forecast of Utah’s housing market. Never have the economic conditions underlying my forecast been as uncertain and fast-moving as the COVID-19 market, due to the extreme volatility expected in Utah’s job market over the next several months. The good news is that in the second half[...]
Insight: COVID-19 Pulse Surveys from the U.S. Census Bureau
By: Mallory Bateman 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™. […]
Insight: How Is the Current Health Crisis Impacting Utah’s Real Estate Market?
By: Dejan Eskic 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™. The success of a strong real estate market is solely dependent on tenants’ ability to pay rent. As we began 2020, no one could have predicted that by April roughly half of retail tenants would miss rent payments, the majority of offices would shift to our homes, and that we would have executive orders putting[...]
Insight: U.S. Census Bureau releases 2019 city and town population estimates
By Natalie Young 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™. Today, the Census Bureau released 2019 population estimates for incorporated places (cities and towns) and housing unit estimates at the state and county level from Census 2010 to July 1, 2019. This fact sheet covers the information in this blog as well as additional findings and a data table of populations for all cities and towns[...]
Insight: How Well is Salt Lake County Serving New Americans?
By: Marin Christensen 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™. Late last year, before the COVID-19 pandemic, I had the honor of interviewing 43 service providers on behalf of the Salt Lake County Office of New Americans. The county wanted to better understand how the needs of new Americans are being met in Salt Lake County, and what providers need to better serve them. […]