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Utahns more confident in the state’s direction than the nation as a whole

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More Utahns believe the United States is going in the wrong direction than the right direction, but by a large majority they believe the state itself is going the right way, a recent UtahPolicy.com poll shows.

Dan Jones & Associates finds:

  • 48 percent of Utahns say the United States is going in the wrong direction.
  • 44 percent say it is going in the right direction.
  • And 8 percent don’t know.

Asked where Utah is going:

  • 65 percent say the right direction.
  • 26 percent (or a fourth) say the state is going in the wrong direction.
  • And 9 percent don’t know.

The poll was taken in February, before the U.S. stock markets dropped significantly after GOP President Donald Trump announce trade tariffs on China.

As you might expect, Utah Republican voters view the nation – controlled by a GOP president and Congress – in a better light:

  • Republicans believe the nation is going in the right direction, 64-28 percent.
  • Democrats say the nation is going the wrong way, 92-6 percent.
  • And political independents – who don’t belong to any political party agree – going the wrong way, 54-33 percent.

 

Republicans, who control the governorship and Legislature, say Utah itself is going in the right direction, 83-10 percent.

Democrats say the state is going the wrong way, 66-28 percent.

But independents side with Republicans – the state is going the right way, 62-27 percent.

Men and women see the U.S. differently – probably because a number of women don’t like Trump (for clear reasons):

  • Men say the U.S. is going in the right direction, 50-45 percent.
  • But women say the nation is headed in the wrong direction, 52-38 percent.

Younger Utahns have a negative feeling about the country.

Those who are age 25-34 say the nation is going in the wrong direction, 53-29 percent.

While those who are 65 years old or older say the nation is going in the right direction, 49-44 percent.

What does this all mean for the 2018 mid-term elections?

That depends on what partisan ground you are standing on and where you live.

For example, 4th District voters are more negative on the U.S.:

  • 52 percent say the nation is going in the wrong direction.
  • Only 42 percent say the right direction.

As UtahPolicy pointed out recently, U.S. Rep. Mia Love of the 4th District is having to be more careful how she supports Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress than the other three Republican U.S. House members from Utah.

She is being challenged by the popular Democratic Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams – and polling shows it’s a close race up to now.

Except for Democrats, other Utahns say the state itself is going in the right direction by healthy majorities.

But the nation. . . not so much.

Jones polled 609 adults from Feb. 9-16. The survey has a margin of error statewide of plus or minus 4 percent; with a margin of error of plus or minus 7.7 percent in the 4th District.