A majority of Utah voters say the state is headed in the right direction. However, about 2/3 say the country is on the wrong track.
The new Utah Political Trends poll from UtahPolicy.com and Y2 Analytics finds 59% of Utah voters believe the state is on the right track, while just 36% feel the same about the country as a whole. The number of voters who say the state is on the right track is up 7-points from our previous survey conducted in June and July of 2019. Those who say the country as a whole is going in the right direction remains about the same.
Utah’s economy is on fire right now. The unemployment rate sits at a paltry 2.9%, which is close to full employment. For comparison, the national unemployment rate is 3.6%.
The feeling among Utah voters about the country as a whole is right on track with national trends. The Real Clear Politics average of polling data about the direction of the country finds 35.5% feel things are going in the right direction, while 59% say we’re on the wrong track.
Not surprisingly, Republicans believe the state is on the right track while Democrats say things are heading in the wrong direction. That’s understandable as Republicans control all facets of Utah state government, including a supermajority in both houses of the legislature.
Some of the discontent among Democrats and independents is likely fueled by resentment from the lawmakers overriding voter-passed initiatives approving medical marijuana and fully expanding Medicaid. In particular, voters are angry over the Republican-controlled legislature to replace the Medicaid expansion with a scaled-back program that covers fewer people.
The Utah Political Trends poll found a sharp divide along gender lines and partisan political leanings on the direction of the country overall.
- Self-identified “strong” Republicans say the country is headed in the right direction by a 69-31% margin. That opinion is likely fueled by strong support for President Donald Trump.
- Moderate Republicans think the country is on the wrong track 62-38%.
- Independents who lean Republican say things in the U.S. are headed in the wrong direction by 16-points, 58-42%.
- Independents and Democrats overwhelmingly believe the country is on the wrong track.
The survey was conducted for UtahPolicy.com by Y2 Analytics from September 25-October 8, 2019 among 979 registered Utah voters with a 2.1% margin of error. You can read more about our polling methodology here.
