SALT LAKE CITY — Dr. Courtney Flint started with simple idea that has snowballed into an annual statewide project that helps cities shape policy to reflect their residents.
Flint runs the Utah Wellbeing Project, an in-depth survey conducted for dozens of cities gauging the feelings of residents about several aspects of life, from their natural surroundings to cultural opportunities and mental health.
Last year, Utahns seemed to feel pretty good.
“Last year, the average score was a 4.07 on a 1-5 scale and that's high,” said Flint.
Of course, that was before COVID-19 changed life in so many ways.
Now Flint is working on the next round of surveys. She won’t have a full set of results for several months, but she is beginning to see some trends that she shared with us.
Notably, Utahns in a number of cities say their sense of well-being declined.
“Anywhere from a third of the residents in LaVerkin to two thirds in Moab are saying their wellbeing has declined,” said Flint.
In the story above, you’ll see how Flint noticed some distinctions in the interplay between religion and a sense of community in largely Latter Day Saints communities and communities that draw a diverse mix.
CLICK HERE to participate in the survey. Find your city under the "Survey Links" heading on the right-hand side of the page.
For city and county leaders, the project is also specificallydiving in to a study of the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
