Most Utahns (69 percent) believe Utah is “in a major housing crisis” or “facing serious housing challenges,” according to new research conducted by Envision Utah, in conjunction with Utah Workforce Housing Advocacy. Only 15 percent of state reidents see the situation as “fine” or “great.”
Envision Utah conducted the in-depth report on Utahns’ perceptions of the state’s housing situation in the fourth quarter of 2024. The research sheds light on how Utahns think about the state’s housing shortage. The research included a survey of approximately 600 Utah adults and a large multi-day online focus group of 36 participants representing a variety of backgrounds. Each participant spent 20 to 40 minutes answering a series of questions on housing.
The report revealed that most Utahns agree there is a housing problem and that we must build more homes to increase supply and drive down prices. Notable findings include:
The study found there is a lack of consensus on the cause of the housing crisis. Throughout the report’s creation, Utahns could not agree on a primary cause for the rising cost of housing. On a scale of impact, respondents cited interest rates (67 percent), construction costs (58 percent), developer or landlord greed (57 percent), too many people moving to Utah (53 percent) or insufficient housing supply (35 percent) among a list of 15 reasons.
Utahns worry most about low-income individuals and families, followed by first-time homebuyers and young families. Survey respondents’ top housing priority is ensuring low-income families can afford to live in neighborhoods with good schools and economic opportunities. They also see affordable housing as a key to breaking the cycle of poverty. Fifty-five percent of Utahns prioritize ensuring community workers such as teachers, firefighters and police officers have affordable housing in the communities they serve.
A majority of those surveyed (69 percent) agree that “we need to build more homes and increase the overall number and availability of homes and apartments in the state” to overcome the current supply shortage, estimated at around 153,000 by 2030. They agree that Utah is growing because it’s an attractive place to live with a strong economy and that the best way to manage growth is to build sufficient housing so that housing stays more affordable.
The most significant concerns about building more housing relate to traffic congestion, overcrowding in public services and crime, the survey found.
“Residents point to housing as their greatest worry about life in Utah,” said Ari Bruening, president and CEO of Envision Utah. “Most Utahns realize this is one problem we can build our way out of. They just want us to do it in a well-planned way that doesn’t threaten other aspects of our quality of life.”