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
Salt Lake City’s Rental Market: Past, Present, and Future
The development of rental housing in downtown Salt Lake City has always been prone to periods of intense activity followed by years of inactivity. A look back at apartment development in this area shows that prior to the early 20th century, housing in downtown was limited to detached single-family units. Tenement and row housing, common features in some downtown markets, were never part of the housing patterns of Salt Lake City.
Utah’s Film & Digital Entertainment Industry, 2016
In 2015, the Utah Film Commission enlisted the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah to conduct a baseline assessment of Utah’s film and digital entertainment industry.
Economic Impact of Utah’s Family Choice Behavioral Healthcare Interventions Industry
Utah is home to 72 Family Choice and Behavioral Healthcare Interventions Industry programs. These programs provide varying levels of residential treatment for teens and young adults and are primarily funded by families “out-of-pocket,” i.e. the industry is not health insurance-driven. The industry generates an economic impact in Utah by bringing in revenue from out-of-state clients, over 90 percent of industry revenue comes from outside of Utah, and through the travel expenditures of clients’ families.



