Well, the Utah Legislature is just over for this year (hopefully) and guess what Utahns think about our state government?
Depends on whom you ask.
Utah Republicans trust the state government – run in both the executive and legislative branches by Republicans – more than any other level of government, a recent UtahPolicy poll conducted by Dan Jones & Associates finds.
Figures.
But Democrats and political independents don’t much trust the GOP-controlled state government.
Nope. They like their non-partisan city governments more, finds Jones in a survey conducted the end of last month of 606 registered voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.98 percent.
And man, Utah Republicans really don’t trust the federal government, run by Democratic President Barack Obama on the executive side and a GOP Congress.
Only 1 percent of Republicans said they trusted the federal government, 37 percent said they trusted the state government the most, 11 percent said their county government, 28 percent said their city government (some folks don’t live in a city) and 19 percent said they trust about all levels of government the same.
Perhaps feeling shut out of state government – Gov. Gary Herbert is a Republican and Republicans hold super majorities in the state House and Senate – only 7 percent of Democrats said they trust state government the most.
Instead, 27 percent of Democrats said they trust the federal government the most – only one reason so many Utah Democrats oppose the state taking control of most federal lands in the state, Jones has found in other surveys.
Twenty-two percent of Democrats said they trust most their non-partisan city governments, 2 percent said county government and 37 percent said they trust all levels of government about the same.
Political independents are more split: 34 percent (the highest plurality) said they trust their non-partisan city governments the most, 29 percent said they trust all levels of government about the same, 17 percent said state government, 11 percent said county government and only 3 percent said they trust the federal government the most.
Note to candidates: Want to win the GOP and independent vote in the next election? Slam the federal government as much as you can.
It may cost you some Democratic votes, but you’ll win big with a GOP and independent majority.
Jones also asked which level of government – federal, state, county or city – affects your life the most; with all levels affect about the same also an option.
About a third of all Utahns say the federal government affects their lives the most, Jones found.
But, interestingly enough, only 6 percent of all Utahns said they trust the federal government.
So there is a real disconnect here: The part of government that impacts their lives the most, they don’t trust. A sad finding, for sure.
Twenty-five percent of Utahns said state government – the Legislature and the governor – affect their lives the most.
And 25 percent said they trust the state government the most.
Well, at least a quarter of Utahns are in part satisfied with the government they live under.
Some other interesting comparisons:
— 34 percent of Republicans said the federal government affects them the most, but only 1 percent trust the federal government.
— 17 percent of Democrats said the federal government affects them the most, and 27 percent of Democrats trust the federal government.
— A third of independents say the federal government affects their lives the most, but only 3 percent of independents trust the federal government.
— 38 percent of Democrats (the highest plurality) say the state government affects their lives the most. (No doubt the fact that the GOP-controlled Legislature was in session during the poll has some impact on Democrats’ opinion in this matter.)
But, found Jones, only 7 percent of Utah Democrats trust the GOP-dominated state government.
So, we can say there are a number of unhappy Democrats in Utah – or at least they feel put upon by the Republican state government.
— 26 percent of independents say state government affects them the most, but only 17 percent trust state government the most.
That’s a lot of numbers to throw at you.
Simply put, overall many Utah Republicans and independents don’t like the federal government, even though a third of each say the feds affect their lives the most.
Democrats feel just about the opposite, state government affects them the most and they don’t trust it.
And so it goes. . . .
