Utah is in the midst of a demographic transformation exhibiting more diversity than ever before — a trend that is expected to continue and that will weigh heavily on the state's young people.

"Utah kids are at the forefront of this diversity trend as our older folks are at the edge of the aging trend," said Pamela Perlich, senior research economist at the University of Utah Bureau of Economic and Business Research, which released a study detailing the intensifying changes facing the state's population.

"We are asking the next generation to take on a bigger demographic than ever before," Perlich said of Utah's youths, who will be responsible for caring for the growing number of retiring baby boomers. "They're going to need to be the most productive, and most creative generation we've ever had."

The study, "Utah's Demographic Transformation: A View Into the Future," details the confluence of four major trends hitting the current population.

"We've always been seen as sort of a homogenous state and now we see all these transformative changes in our demographic," Perlich said. "Demographic trends are unfolding all around us."

The arrival of record numbers of immigrants, beginning in the 1980s and continuing for at least another generation, is one of the largest trends. Perlich said there are 117 languages, in addition to English, being spoken in Utah's public schools. The dynamic creates more challenging learning environments for schoolchildren and is also increasing competition within global workplaces.

Another trend detailed in the 12-page report is the increasing number of baby boomers who are retiring and approaching retirement age. Life expectancies are also continuing to increase, resulting in more people living beyond age 85, while recent immigrant childbirths are also contributing heftily to a growing and more diverse population.

"The cumulative impact of these trends is that Utah, along with the rest of the nation, will continue to become much more diverse in many ways, including age, culture, language, nativity, race, ethnicity, religion and socioeconomics," Perlich said.

Although Utah is behind the national curve, the state is beginning to catch up to other states according to data from U.S. Census reports, as well as various trends in housing, household formation, projections and collective facts, all of which Perlich used to compile her report.

Perlich believes the trends point to a healthy future for the state, but also puts a lot of pressure on policies being made today, including money directed at education and infrastructure. She said state officials should use the data to examine future needs, including consideration that the aging population may not use the sprawling homes and road systems being built now.

"One thing is clear: Planning for the future cannot be based on an obsolete view that the future population is simply a super-sized version of an idealized past," Perlich said. "This is our future. We can't turn the clock back. This is what we're facing."

The entire report can be viewed at www.bebr.utah

.edu.

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E-MAIL: wleonard@desnews.com "

The cumulative impact of these trends is that Utah, along with the rest of the nation, will continue to become much more diverse in many ways.

Pamela Perlich

senior research economist

"