The Utah Foundation announces the release of two policy briefs. The first highlights that water availability in Utah’s future is a major issue for Utah voters, with specific strategies and concerns noted by respondents. The second notes that K-12 education, while showing less concern for Utah voters since the pandemic, remains a high priority for Utahns.
First, it is important to note that Utah voters expressed a willingness to reduce their own outdoor water use. This is significant since outdoor landscape watering accounts for up to 65% of annual municipal water use in Utah. When surveyed, over 54% of respondents noted that they are very or extremely willing to remove 50% of their lawn (or allow it to be brown during summer months) in order to reduce the cost of Utah’s water infrastructure investments by 30%. Liberal voters, Democrats, and non-religious populations tended to be more willing.
Second, concerns in K-12 education center around teacher pay (33% of voters) and curriculum content (39% of voters). Of additional possible concern is that only 44% of voters agree that “public schools offer all kids access to an education that will allow them to succeed,” while 42% disagree.
Regarding respondents’ concerns about teacher pay, in Utah, the average is about $63,000 – below the national average, ranking 23rd in the nation. However, Utah’s beginning teacher’s average salary is about $50,000, above the national average. Of further concern is the reality that teacher pay nationally has been declining, when adjusted for inflation, over the last decade. However, voters may not be willing to spend more on education – 49% of voters were unwilling to pay $500 more in taxes annually to increase the proportion of good third-grade readers by 10%.
Concern was also expressed regarding school curricula, particularly the role of Critical Race Theory in the classroom. Additionally, a majority of respondents agreed that “The way schools are teaching about America’s complicated racial history is causing more division than it is creating a deeper understanding of the plight of many Americans.” Older voters were even more likely to agree.
These and other findings are in two Utah Foundation 2024 Utah Priorities Project briefs titled: “Having Enough Water” and “Kindergarten through 12-grade education.”
“When it comes to water, Utah voters have expressed a willingness to make individual sacrifices to slow future costs,” said Christopher Collard, Utah Foundation Research Director, “but when it comes to education, fewer are willing to pay to ensure more children meet minimum reading requirements – at least not at the initially proposed levels.”
