Recent Research
Recently Published
The most recent research published by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
Work/Life Balance Preferences: Utah Parents
Statewide survey found a majority of Utah parents with children under the age of 12 work full-time and believe there are a number of workplace policies employers could offer to support them in getting closer to their ideal work and childcare arrangement.
September 2022 Utah Consumer Sentiment
Utah’s consumer sentiment fell from 66.0 in August to 63.9 in September, according to the Kem C. Gardner Institute’s Survey of Utah Consumers. A similar survey by the University of Michigan found sentiment essentially unchanged from August (58.2) to September (58.6) among Americans as a whole.
Utah’s Direct Selling Industry
Utah is a global hub for the direct selling business model. The state’s established direct selling industry anchored over 38,000 well-paying jobs and added significantly to state and local tax revenues as part of its 2020 economic impacts.
An Economic Analysis of Utah’s Direct Selling Industry
Utah’s established direct selling industry anchored over 38,000 well-paying jobs and added significantly to state and local tax revenues as part of its 2020 statewide economic impacts.
User Guide: Long-Term Planning Projection Scenarios
The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute prepares long-term demographic and economic planning projections to assist with state decision-making. The Institute released a set of baseline (or most likely) projections in January 2022. These baseline projections provide the data foundation for Utah’s long-term transportation, water, education, and other planning activities.
Utah’s Multiracial Population, 2020
Utah’s multiracial (two or more races) resident population added the most residents and was the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group regardless of Hispanic or Latino origin between 2010 and 2020. This report uses the 2020 census redistricting data to provide insights into Utah’s multiracial population, including ethnicity, youth and adult populations, and where people live.
August 2022 Utah Consumer Sentiment
Utah’s consumer sentiment increased from 62.9 in July 2022 to 66.0 in August 2022, according to the Kem C. Gardner Institute’s Consumer Sentiment Survey, after three consecutive months of decline. A similar survey by the University of Michigan during the same period found an increase in sentiment among Americans as a whole, rising from 51.5 to 58.2.
A Decade of Declining Fertility in Utah, the Intermountain West, and the Nation: 2010-2020
Utah’s declining fertility rate made state headlines in 2016 when it no longer ranked highest in the country. Since then, Utah’s total fertility rate of 1.92 births per woman has declined nationally from highest to fourth highest, with rates in South Dakota (1.98), Nebraska (1.94), and North Dakota (1.93) exceeding Utah’s.