Public Policy
The Gardner Institute provides data-driven, context-specific insights about public policy in Utah. We prepare in-depth quantitative and qualitative studies on key Utah issues in partnership with private-sector stakeholders and state and local government. Our research provides vital information decision-makers and the public use to help Utah prosper.
Featured Research
Renewable Natural Gas: A Sustainable Approach to the Energy Transition
Renewable natural gas offers a new and promising energy source that will help decarbonize a portion of Utah’s energy mix.
Ivory-Boyer Construction Report, 3rd Quarter 2021
Construction activity continued its record-breaking momentum into the third quarter of 2021. While concerns over inflation and monetary policy bring a level of uncertainty into the real estate world, Utah’s construction activity continued at a record pace.
2022 Economic Report to the Governor (Highlights)
Utah bounced back in 2021 from the pandemic recession shock. The state added a record-breaking 72,500 jobs over the year, recovering the 20,900 jobs lost in 2020 and gaining an additional 51,600 new jobs.
2022 Utah Economic Outlook and Public Policy Summit Presentation
The Salt Lake Chamber and Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute's Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit is the state's premier economic forecasting and public policy event that is attended by policy and academic thought leaders from across the state.
January Newsmaker Breakfast: Charts to Know in 2022
Gardner Institute researchers shared a preview of top-sheet results from Utah Informed: Visual Intellection for 2022. The charts cover a range of topics including education, demographics, housing, health care, and public finance.
Utah Informed: Visual Intellection for 2022
Utah Informed ​is a collection of tables, charts, ideas, and schematics to prompt consideration of a compelling trend, spur an innovative idea, or inspire an aspirational thought. Decision makers are advantaged when they understand the past 20 years as they plan for the next 20 years.
2022 Economic Report to the Governor
The 2022 Economic Report to the Governor is the 34th publication in this series. Through the last three decades, the Economic Report to the Governor has served as the preeminent source for data, research, and analysis about the Utah economy. It includes a national and state economic overview, a demographic overview of the state, a summary of state government economic development activities, an analysis of economic activity based on the standard indicators, and a detailed review of industries and issues of particular interest.
The State of Utah’s Travel and Tourism Industry, 2020
Utah’s travel and tourism industry—the hardest-hit industry by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic—experienced a healthy recovery during the first half of 2021, particularly in Utah’s rural areas.
A Roadmap for Improving Utah’s Behavioral Health System 2021 End-of-Year Update
The Utah Hospital Association (UHA) released A Roadmap for Improving Utah’s Behavioral Health System in February 2020. The Roadmap was developed in collaboration with UHA’s behavioral health committee and mental health workgroup, comprising members of the mental health community. The purpose of the roadmap is to provide a guide policy makers, UHA, and other stakeholders can use to support legislation, policy decisions, and program development to help ensure every citizen in the state of Utah has access to appropriate behavioral health services and supports.
USHE Data Book: The Costs and Benefits of Higher Education
As a large share of Utah’s state budget and a key input to economic development, higher education plays a significant role in the Utah economy and is associated with many individual and societal benefits.
