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.
Insight: What’s Driving Our Office Real Estate Growth?
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™. Driving up and down the I-15 corridor, few things are as evident as the growth in the number of new office buildings. The last decade saw approximately 11.5 million square feet of new office space constructed in Utah and Salt Lake counties. Between 2010 and 2019, Utah County’s market size nearly doubled, while Salt Lake[...]
A Roadmap for Improving Utah’s Behavioral Health System, 2020
Utah is in the midst of a behavioral health crisis. High suicide rates, untreated anxiety and depression, serious mental illness, and high rates of opioid use disorder and other drug-related deaths are all signs of the need for accessible, affordable, and comprehensive behavioral health services.
Insight: Utah’s Energy Industry
By: John Downen 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™. Energy is fundamental to the functioning of a modern economy. It enables every production process, whether of goods or services, and facilitates practically every human endeavor. […]
Economic Impacts of Utah’s Energy Industry, 2017
Utah’s diverse energy industry plays a significant role in the state’s economy. It encompasses traditional fossil fuels and renewable resources. The mining sector produces crude oil, natural gas, and coal. Power producers generate electricity from hydropower, geothermal, solar, wind, and biomass resources and distribute it within the state and across the western U.S. Five refineries process crude oil from Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Canada, and Utah has the only licensed and operating uranium mill in the country. Dozens of firms manufacture machinery for mining and the oil and gas fields as well as turbines, generators, transformers, and other electrical equipment.[...]
Insight: New BEA Data Uncover a Burgeoning Industry: Outdoor Recreation
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™. I have long suspected—either while desperately searching for a parking spot in Big Cottonwood Canyon, waiting in long lines at REI, or watching another outdoor gear manufacturer set roots in Utah—that Utah’s outdoor recreation industry is growing. Well, now there’s proof! […]
Insight: Finally, Some Good News on Health Care Costs
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™. When you hear the term “health care costs,” it is typically never associated with good news. In an earlier blog post, I noted that surprise medical bills, the rising cost of prescription drugs, and a lack of price transparency in the health care market have long frustrated the public and have policymakers looking for solutions.[...]
Survey of Utah’s Top Homebuilders
Increasing prices and a shortage of new housing units continue to be a challenge across the State of Utah. The goal of the survey of Utah’s top homebuilders is to shed light on market sentiment and provide insight into the issues and opportunities facing our housing market. The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute conducted the survey of Utah's top homebuilders in fall 2019. Of the 24 homebuilders contacted, 19 participated. The survey participants were identified using Construction Monitor rankings of top homebuilders. Surveys were conducted through either in-person or telephone interviews.
January 2020 Economic Summary
Utah’s unemployment rate was 2.3% in December 2019, lower than the December 2018 rate of 3.2%. The national unemployment rate was 3.5% in December 2019, lower than the December 2018 rate of 3.9%.
Utah Travel and Tourism County Profiles, 2018
The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute has prepared economic profiles that track travel and tourism data for each of Utah's 29 counties.