A high percentage of Utahns believe the state should be aggressively planning for the growth the state will see in 10 to 40 years, a recent Dan Jones & Associates poll finds.
The survey, on a scale of 1-to-5, with 1 and 2 being not important at all, and 4 and 5 being very important (with 3 being neutral), sought to measure Utahns’ views on a variety of issues.
On planning for growth, the survey finds:
- 73 percent said such planning is “very important.”
- Only 6 percent said it was not important.
- With 21 percent being neutral on the subject, not unimportant, but not that important at all.
Utah already has various groups looking at the future, and planning for all kinds of issues – from public education to infrastructure to water development and energy.
Along the Wasatch Front, which will see the greatest explosion in population, groups are looking into affordable housing, roads, air quality and such.
But how to manage growth – if indeed it can be done with the pressures to come – is another issue, and one that brings in the right to own property and develop it as you wish, how to grow your business and government regulations, and such.
Breaking out the issue of growth and partisan politics, the survey finds:
- 78 percent of Republicans say planning for growth is “very important.”
- 5 percent of Republicans say it is not important.
- And 17 percent don’t care much about it.
- 70 percent of Democrats say planning is “very important.”
- 4 percent say it isn’t.
- And 26 percent – one fourth – are neutral on the subject.
- Political independents see less need, 66 percent, or two-thirds, say growth planning is “very important.”
- 7 percent say it is not.
- And 27 percent are neutral, or not that important.
Here is an interesting demographic breakout:
Those who told Jones they are single now and have never been married, only 61 percent say planning for future growth is “very important.”
It is likely these folks do not have children or grandchildren, and so don’t see the need to plan to help them as much as folks with children.
Among those who are married, and thus more likely to have offspring, 73 percent said planning for growth is “very important.”
Those who are widowed or divorced are even more pro-planning: 82 percent of them say growth considerations are “very important” in Utah’s future.
Jones polled 638 adults from Sept. 26 to Oct. 4. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.85 percent.