Just over half of all Utahns say they are better off today than they were four years ago, a new UtahPolicy.com/Y2 Analytics poll shows.
But many more Utah women say they are worse off today than do men.
And the poll is highly partisan, with three-fourths of Republicans saying they are better off today, but only 30 percent of Democrats agreeing.
The Y2 results roughly track a February survey by Gallup that shows half of all Americans say they are better off today than they were a year ago.
Y2 asked Utahns if they were better off than four years ago to more closely see how they feel under the administration of GOP President Donald Trump.
And sure enough, your politics depends on how you are feeling about yourself and your family.
“This is pretty normal,” says Kelly Patterson of Y2 Analytics.
“A person’s perception of the economy is influenced by which party is in office.
“Individuals tend to view the economy and their own well-being more favorably if they belong to the same party as the president,” he added.
While 52 percent of Utahns say, overall, they are better off, 29 percent say they “are about the same” as four years ago, and 20 percent say they are worse off.
Since you obviously have an opinion about how you, yourself, are doing, there were no “don’t knows.”
A majority of Republicans — “strong” and “not very strong” — are doing better today, as are independents who lean Republican in their political philosophies.
Even pure independents, who don’t favor any party, are doing better, 55 percent to 20 percent, with a quarter saying they are doing about the same.
While more split in their responses, “strong” and “not very strong,” Democrats aren’t thrilled with where they find themselves today and are joined by independents who lean Democratic.
There is a considerable difference between the opinions of men and women:
— Only 39 percent of women said they are better off today than they were four years ago.
— For men that number is 62 percent, a 23-point difference.
— 24 percent of women said they are worse off than four years ago, only 16 percent of men said that.
— And 36 percent of women said their conditions are “about the same” today as four years ago — in other words, they have not made progress.
— Only 22 percent of men say that.
Clearly, more Utah women say they are struggling today than they were before Trump was elected president.
Utah conservatives love what is happening today, 77 percent say they are better off than four years ago.
Liberals are not happy; only 28 percent say they are better off today, 36 percent say they are worse off; and 36 percent say they are about the same.
The Utah Political Trends Survey was conducted by Y2 Analytics from August 22 to September 2, 2019 among 1,044 registered Utah voters with a margin of error +/- 3%. You can read more about how our polls are conducted here, and more on our panel selection here.
