As might be expected, the top issue among Utah voters is healthcare, driven by concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. That’s according to the Utah Foundation’s recently released report “What’s on Utah’s Mind: Voter Issues and Concerns in 2020.”
The report, the first release in the 2020 Utah Priorities Project series, outlines voters’ top concerns. The project uses surveys to inform candidates for elected office, elected officials, civic leaders and others on voters’ priorities. It draws from a survey taken before the coronavirus pandemic hit Utah and from a second one taken this summer.
The pandemic has an impact in several of the state’s voters’ major concerns the report found. Those concerns, include healthcare costs and accessibility, state taxes and spending, K-12 education, jobs and the economy. Public health and the pandemics were most often cited as the top concern in the most recent survey.
Utah Foundation President Peter Reichard said the 2020 Utah Priorities Project is particularly interesting since its two separate survey periods allow a glimpse at the major impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on voters’ issue prioritization. “As expected, the pandemic and its economic fallout really shifted Utahns’ priorities,” he said.