Utah Thrives Archives - Utah Foundation

Over the past year, the Utah Foundation has published a series of reports looking at social capital in Utah – the idea, as expressed by Harvard Professor Robert Putnam, that our connections between individuals and the broader community improve not only our own well-being but that of the places we live and the nation as a whole. One key aspect of that is social mobility – improving each family’s station in life. 

As the report on social mobility was being finalized for its release, the Utah Foundation held a roundtable discussion with staff and a member of its Board of Trustees, Carlton Christensen. The conversation also included Research Director Christopher Collard and Research Analyst Ashley Marshall-Cantor.

Michelle Crawford, Executive Director of Circles in Salt Lake City, joined the presentation of the report to Utah news media and talked about social capital as a key aspect of their work to help families lift themselves out of intergenerational poverty, and we’ll hear from her as well.

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We also hear from Utah Foundation board member Andrew Gruber, Executive Director of the Wasatch Front Regional Council, as well as Paul Leggett, Division Director of Aging and Adult Services at Salt Lake County.

The post Utah Thrives Podcast | Aging in Utah, Aging in Place appeared first on Utah Foundation.

There’s good news and bad news in the newest report in the Utah Foundation’s social capital series. The good news is that Utah far outdistances every other state in several key metrics of community life. The bad news is that Utah’s community life index score has fallen by over 40% since 2013.

In this podcast, Dan Bammes talks with Utah Foundation staff and board members Ben Brown and Mary Catherine Perry.

The post Utah Thrives Podcast | Social Capital and Community Life appeared first on Utah Foundation.

Listen to our latest episode of Utah Thrives, where we discuss one of our Social Capital Index project reports: Households and Heritages: How Family Health Hooks into Social Capital.

In this episode, Dan Bammes guides us through a discussion with Shawn Teigen, the Utah Foundation’s President, and Bill Crim, President and CEO of the United Way of Salt Lake and a Utah Foundation board member. We cover the data and importance of family structure and family ties.

The post Utah Thrives Podcast | Family Structure and Family Ties appeared first on Utah Foundation.

Listen to our latest episode of Utah Thrives, where we discuss a hot topic: redistricting.

In this episode, Dan Bammes features a discussion with Christopher Collard, Research Director of the Utah Foundation. Christopher talks about the Utah Foundation’s redistricting tool, which enables Utahns to experience redistricting firsthand. In addition, Christopher highlights findings from a survey of city officials, which includes a question about keep together “communities of interest,” which is one of the priorities of Utah’s redistricting commission. 

The post Utah Thrives Podcast | Another Shot at Redistricting appeared first on Utah Foundation.

Listen to our latest episode of Utah Thrives, where we discuss one of our Social Capital Index project reports: Tots and Tomorrow: How a Focus on Future Generations Generates Social Capital.

In this episode, Dan Bammes guides us through a discussion among Utah Foundation staff and board members. We cover the data and importance of these future-generations metrics.

Access the full report here.

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Listen to our latest episode of Utah Thrives, where we set the stage for our upcoming series of reports on social capital.

We revisit a clip of our interview with Robert Putnam in 2019 and hear an overview of our social capital project by Research Intern Laura Pacheco. We also interviewed Silvia Castro Bennett of Suazo Business Center and Bill Crim of United Way Salt Lake to understand how their organizations leverage social capital to benefit Utah communities. 

You can also listen to our 2019 interview with Robert Putnam on social capital here.

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In this edition of Utah Thrives, we look at issues in post-secondary education detailed in the Utah Foundation’s new research reports. Utah Foundation President Shawn Teigen sets the stage for a discussion of goals and governance for Utah’s public colleges and universities. Tim Sheehan, Vice President of Government and Community Relations for Salt Lake Community College, talks about how the Utah system is meant to provide critical employment skills for students, and President Brad Mortensen of Weber State University talks about how those skills can become a foundation for undergraduate and graduate degrees that benefit both students and the community.

Read the Utah Foundation’s reports on post-secondary education governance here:

The post Utah Thrives Podcast | Education Beyond High School appeared first on Utah Foundation.

In this podcast, Utah Foundation staff members Christopher Collard, Ashley Marshall-Cantor, and Shawn Teigen talk about the top research findings of 2024. They cover the Utah Priorities Project, taxes, and housing. Listen below!

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