Recent Research
Recently Published
The most recent research published by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
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.
December 2021 Utah Consumer Sentiment
Utah’s consumer sentiment declined by 1.5 points from November to December, decreasing to a year low of 75.4, according to the Kem C. Gardner Institute’s Utah Consumer Sentiment Survey. Utah consumer confidence has steadily declined from year highs experienced in March, as Utahns are increasingly becoming concerned about inflation and new waves of COVID variants.
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.
Curbing the Youth Vaping Pandemic: A Review of How Utah’s Laws and Policies Compare Nationally and to Other States
Vaping, or the use of electronic cigarettes, is a public health issue both nationally and here in the state of Utah. Rates of vaping doubled nationally between 2017 and 2019, and Utah has experienced a significant increase over the past several years as well.
November Newsmaker Breakfast: Supply Chains and Inflation Slides
Until the supply side of the economy wakes up and catches up with the fast-reviving demand side coming out of the pandemic, the economic statistics will undoubtedly hold more surprises...But there is money to be made. And, if history is any guide, when businesses can make a healthy profit, they will solve the problems. Quickly.
November 2021 Utah Consumer Confidence
Utah’s consumer sentiment fell in November, according to the Kem C. Gardner Institute’s Utah Consumer Confidence Survey. The University of Michigan measured a similar decline among Americans as a whole
The State of the State’s Housing Market
Utah's housing market faces a severe imbalance that creates record price increases for homeowners and renters. The COVID-19 pandemic made the housing shortage worse by disrupting supply chains for building materials and distorting demand through lower interest rates and increased liquidity. For renters, the path to ownership narrowed further. Rental vacancy rates dropped to record levels and rental rates increased dramatically in the large Wasatch Front counties. Analysts expect price acceleration and production to remain positive in 2022. A housing bubble looks unlikely.
Utah’s Demographics and COVID-19 Death Rates: A Data Update
Utah has a lower COVID-19 per-capita death rate (also called the crude death rate, or CDR) than the U.S. as a whole. The national cumulative CDR for the year of April 1, 2020, through March 31, 2020, was 167 deaths per 100,000 people, while the Utah rate was 65 deaths per 100,000 people. A 2020 report attributed a quarter of the CDR difference up through July 1, 2021, to Utah’s younger population.
2020 Census in Utah Summary Report
This document serves as a record of activities undertaken as part of Utah’s 2020 Census effort, focusing on the period leading up to and during the enumeration.
