To better understand how individuals and communities in the state are doing, the Utah Wellbeing Project was developed by USU Extension.
“Quality of life and wellbeing have always been very important to Utah executives and decision-makers. But we often use existing data, either from the census or from other indicators, and don’t have that many mechanisms to reach out to people and ask them how they are doing. So this is one way of doing it, ”said Dr. Courtney Flint, who works on the USU Extension and developed the Utah Wellbeing Project
Cities across the state can choose to participate in the project and ask citizens how they are doing through a quick survey. The effort began with 16 cities in 2019 and grew to 30 cities this year. Due to the pandemic, the survey looks a little different this year.
The challenges associated with COVID-19 are repeatedly raised in the surveys, and researchers are seeing dramatic declines in social connection and lack of cultural opportunities, as well as strong concerns about decline in mental health.
“Mental health is a problem in our communities, from very rural to very urban environments,” Flint said. “It’s really on people’s minds.”
By identifying the issues that preoccupy residents most, community leaders can better target resources. In Herriman, the researchers learned that most residents are interested in natural and open spaces. In Nephi, city officials used survey results to inform city budget planning.
Vernal is participating this year, as is the first Uintah County city to do so. City planners are ready to hear from their residents and the survey will be open until March 14th. While the researchers are excited about the responses they received, they would like increased participation to ensure they get samples from a representative group.
The survey is completely anonymous, takes only 10 minutes, and is available on the Utah Wellbeing Survey website.
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