Salt Lake City residents mostly think living conditions in the city have improved or stayed the same over the past five years.
A new UtahPolicy.com survey finds about a third of residents think conditions in the city are the same as they were five years ago. 25% say it's somewhat better while 14% say things are much better. 16% say conditions are worse.
Younger residents tend to think things have changed for the better while older citizens say conditions have stayed the same or declined.
| 18-25 | 26-35 | 36-45 | 46-55 | 56-65 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Much worse | 1% | 0% | 5% | 1% | 7% | 7% |
| Somewhat worse | 3% | 4% | 2% | 25% | 12% | 23% |
| About the same | 13% | 19% | 30% | 32% | 38% | 44% |
| Somewhat better | 30% | 30% | 31% | 18% | 29% | 16% |
| Much better | 17% | 20% | 18% | 11% | 11% | 6% |
| I haven't lived in Salt Lake City for five years | 37% | 27% | 14% | 12% | 3% | 3% |
47% of those between the ages of 18-25 say things have improved over the past half-decade while half of those in the 26-35 age group agree as do 49% of citizens in the 36-45 cohort.
Those numbers begin to decline in the older groups. 58% between 46-55 say conditions have remained the same or worsened as do 57% of those 56-65. 74% of those age 65 or older think things have not improved or worsened.
Nearly half of Democrats (46%) in the city say things are improving while only about a quarter of Republicans feel that way (24%). A third of political independents say things are improving.
| Republicans | Democrats | Independents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Much worse | 5% | 4% | 1% |
| Somewhat worse | 20% | 9% | 17% |
| About the same | 32% | 29% | 34% |
| Somewhat better | 17% | 30% | 23% |
| Much better | 7% | 16% | 13% |
| I haven't lived in Salt Lake City for five years | 20% | 16% | 13% |
Overall, citizens don't think things in the city are declining from five years ago. That seems to bode well for Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker's bid for a third term in office as his challengers, Jackie Biskupsi and Luke Garrott, may not use that as a reason he should be replaced.
The survey was conducted by Dan Jones and Associates from April 9-15, 2015. 366 registered Salt Lake City voters were contacted via telephone and online methods. It has a margin of error of +/- 5.12%.
