Utah\u27s people and environment are currently experiencing significant changes as the population continues to grow, droughts and flooding pose threats to agriculture, air quality leads to health concerns, energy needs rise, and public lands see increased use. Action is needed to address these changes, especially given how rapidly they are occurring. Political leaders, environmental organizations, Tribal Nations, and universities play a critical role in ensuring Utah’s environment, economy, workforce, and underserved communities have a sustainable path forward. Understanding residents’ views, values, and concerns can help better craft the policy, inform infrastructure, and identify the services needed to do so. With this goal of understanding in mind, Utah State University\u27s Community & Natural Resources Institute (CANRI) launched the Utah People and Environment Poll in spring of 2023. The following summarizes findings in each category of the survey

Brunner, Elizabeth

Schad, Jessica

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Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP) Community and Natural Resources Institute 2023 UPEP 2023 Overview Jessica Schad Utah State University, jessica.schad@usu.edu Elizabeth Brunner Utah State University, elizabeth.brunner@usu.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/canri_projects  Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons, and the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Schad, Jessica and Brunner, Elizabeth, "UPEP 2023 Overview" (2023). Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP). Paper 4. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/canri_projects/4 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Community and Natural Resources Institute at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP) by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@usu.edu. OverviewUtah People &Environment Poll(UPEP)Utah's people and environment are currently experiencing significant changes as thepopulation continues to grow, droughts and flooding pose threats to agriculture, airquality leads to health concerns, energy needs rise, and public lands see increased use.Action is needed to address these changes, especially given how rapidly they areoccurring. Political leaders, environmental organizations, Tribal Nations, anduniversities play a critical role in ensuring Utah’s environment, economy, workforce,and underserved communities have a sustainable path forward. Understandingresidents’ views, values, and concerns can help better craft the policy, informinfrastructure, and identify the services needed to do so. With this goal ofunderstanding in mind, Utah State University's Community & Natural ResourcesInstitute (CANRI) launched the Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP) in spring of2023. The following summarizes findings in each category of the survey.  You can alsolearn more here: https://chass.usu.edu/sociology/canri/upep The 2023 Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP) is a statewide survey of adult Utahresidents assess attitudes toward and perceptions of a variety of environmental issuesfacing Utah today as well as respondents’ values and beliefs. The results form a richbody of data that will be able to inform actions and initiatives across the state.Subsequent surveys will be able to assess change over time and potentially offerinsights into the impact of various interventions. The poll was designed to reach a representative population for the state. Close to 450people completed the poll from 25 counties across Utah. Survey respondents wererather evenly dispersed across gender, education, political affiliation, and profession.Respondents were 93.1% white, which is just above the state’s 90.0%, with 64.6%indicating they were residents of Salt Lake, Utah, or Davis county.2023SurveyIntroductionOverviewOverall, respondents indicated a strong connection to Utah, which may be tied to theamount of time they have lived in the state. Respondents reported living in Utah fromone to 88 years, with an average of 37.5 years. Most plan to stay, with 67.1% said thatthey intended to still live in Utah in five years and 66.6% either somewhat agreed orstrongly agreed that they would regret having to move to another place. 71.4% eithersomewhat or strongly agrees that Utah is the best place for what they like and do and66.7% somewhat or strongly agreed that if this place changes too much, they may wantto leave. For those considering leaving Utah, drought/lack of water and air quality werethe most significant concerns (38.8% and 31.4%, respectively).The survey was a collaborative effort led by Dr. JessicaSchad and her SOC 7100 (Advanced Survey Methods) class.Faculty and students from departments across College ofHumanities and Social Sciences (CHaSS) as well as thedepartment of Environment and Society (ENVS)contributed questions. Utahns: Connected to HomeDrought was the most concerningto respondents (57.6% veryconcerned). Relatedly, the dryingup of the Great Salt Lake rankedsecond (54.8%) followed by airquality (52.2%), population growth(43.6%), and changing access topublic lands (43.1%).A Collaborative EffortIssues of ConcernPopulation growth Changing access topublic landsLoss of open space toresidential dev.Air qualityDrying up of the Great Salt LakeDroughtAir Pollution & HealthClose to 88% of respondents indicated they agree or strongly agree that airpollution is a serious problem that can cause harm. Most respondents did not,however, consider air pollution to be a problem that would impact them in thenear term. In fact, only 34.4% reported that it would be likely or extremely likelythat they would experience health concerns from air pollution in the next yearwhile 64.5% respondents indicated that they were likely to experience healthconcerns over their lifetime.Outdoor RecreationThe tourism industry is a major economic driverin Utah. In 2021, Utah visitors spent $10.56billion, which supported 130,600 jobs andresulted in $1.81 billion in state & local taxrevenue. The tourism industry can havesignificant impacts on outdoor recreation andpublic lands, especially in a state where suchopportunities are drawing new residents.Maintain existing resources - 93.7%Education on responsiblerecreation - 86.7%More greenways or trailswithin communities - 78.5%Respondents support usingstate funds to:Extremely 48.5%Very 29.8%Moderately15.5%Slightly5.1%Not at all 1.0%How important are outdoorrecreation options to you?The majority of respondents (93.8%) indicatedthat outdoor recreation options and/or accessto wilderness and public lands was moderately,very, or extremely important to them. Over 80%expressed attachment to Utah’s National Parksand public lands. When asked how much theysupport or oppose using state funds to managerecreation, respondents expressed the greatestsupport for maintaining existing resources(93.7%), education on responsible recreation(86.7%), and more greenways and trails withincommunities (78.5%). Overall, protecting and preserving the environment was of great importance torespondents. Over 80% of respondents indicated they had the following guidingvalues: protecting the environment for future generations (97.4%); protecting theenvironment and preserving nature (94.7%); protecting the earth and harmony withother species (94.3%); equality, equal opportunity for all (92.9%); and social justice,correcting injustice, care for the weak (82.4%).ValuesNeed to be a lotstronger 25.9%Need to besomewhatstronger 32.3%Too strong butnot excessiveAre excessive12.9%Water is a top concern among Utahns, with 79.7% of respondents ranking Utah’s watercrisis as a 6 or higher on a 10-point scale of severity. When asked what factors arecontributing to the current water crisis, people perceived the top 5 factors as:population growth (62%), lack of precipitation (57.4%), desert environment (41.6%),agriculture (38.4%), and residential uses (21.9%). WildfireResponses indicate that wildfire is not one ofrespondents’ top concerns. However, whenasked directly, 56.9% agree or strongly agreethat it currently poses a significant threat toUtah residents and 72% agree or strongly agreethat it poses a threat to Utah’s landscapes. 79.5%agree or strongly agree that prescribed burningcan be a useful management technique in Utah.Moderate support exists to including federallyrecognized tribes in decision-making processesabout lands (61.4% agree or strongly agree. Water Overall, respondents expressed that government was notmanaging water responsibly, with more people agreeingthat the federal government was not being responsible(~60%) than the state (57.4%) or local governments(44.8%). Residents cited water management (63.3%),residential uses (54.2%), population growth (52.1%),agricultural uses (50.4%) and local or politicalinvolvement as areas that could be changed to mitigateUtah’s current water crisis. Population Growth 62%Lack of precipitation57.4%Desert environment41.6%Agriculture38.4%What factors are contributingto Utah's water crisis?In 2021, the EPA reported that 25% of total US greenhousegas emissions came from electricity consumption. In 2022,53% of Utah's electricity net generation came from coal-fired power plants. As the population of the statecontinues to grow, demands will likely increase.   While over 50% of respondents agree or strongly agreethat growing energy needs pose a threat to Utah’s naturalenvironment, only 37.5% were willing to pay more forcarbon-free energy sources and only 57.7% agree orstrongly agree that transitioning to carbon-pollution freeenergy would lessen the impacts of climate change (20%neither agree nor disagree). This suggests opportunitiesfor public engagement regarding energy initiatives andtheir potential impacts. EnergyThis report was co-authored by:Dr. Jessica Schad, SociologyDr. Elizabeth Brunner, Communication Studies71.3% of respondents consider themselves to beknowledgeable about Utah’s cultural heritageand 66.7% think it should be included as part ofplanning and/or new development in Utah.However, a significant portion neitheragree/disagree that the state (53.6%) or federal(47.3%) government is managing Utah’s culturalheritage responsibly. Cultural HeritageIdentity and the environment areintertwined in that one's identity canresult in uneven or unequal experiencesof environmental risks or harms.Respondents indicated that geographiclocation (82.7%), class/economic status(73.0%), and race (54.7%) were the threemost impactful categories followed bydisability (49.9%) and age (48.6%).  Mostalso agree (50.4% strongly agree) thatcorporations should be held responsiblefor harming vulnerable communities.Environment & EqualityCorporations should be held responsible forharming low-income and communities of color.Neitheragree/disagree13.6%Somewhat agree20.2%Strongly agree50.4%Strongly disagree10.2%Somewhatdisagree5.6%While 77.8% of respondents indicated theirview that most scientists agree that climatechange is happening, 15% reported notknowing if scientists agreed or disagreed and7.2% indicated that they viewed mostscientists as disagreeing that climate changeis happening. Most (62.4%) believe climatechange is happening now, caused mainly byhuman activities and 27.9% believe thechange is caused mainly by natural forces.Climate Change & VulnerabilityHow often do you discuss globalwarming with family & friends?Occasionally37.5% Rarely37.2%Never 13.3%Often12%Man48.3%Woman47.7%Transgender/Gender non-conforming/other2.6%Fairly conservative26.%Fairly liberal18%Don't lean to either side17.2%Somewhat conservative14.2%Somewhat liberal8.3%Extremely conservative6.3%Don't know/not sure5.1%$100,000 - $149,99922.5%$75,000 - $99,99916.5%$50,000 - $74,99914.1%Less than $25,00011.3%Prefer not to say10.6%$25,000 - $34,9997.0%$35,000 - $49,997.0%$200,000 and above6.5%$150,000 - $199,9994.6%White (N = 427)93.1%Other, please specify: see appendix (N = 7)4.8% If you are interested in additional informationabout the topics covered above, please emailDr. Jessica Schad at jessica.schad@usu.edu. When asked whether they wanted one or morechildren, 30.4% responded "yes." Respondentsindicated personal circumstances or preferenceswere the greatest factor in making a decisionabout having kids (81.4% said somewhat or a lot  of influence). Environmental conditions wereranked much lower (33.9%) after financialcircumstances (68.1%) and current household size(41.3%).The Environment & FertilityGenderDemographicsPolitical identityHousehold IncomeRace

UPEP 2023 Overview

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