Utah Priorities Project poll identifies Utahns' top election year issues

SALT LAKE CITY — Jobs and the economy top the list of issues facing the state, according to a new poll that also found many Utahns believe their quality of life is declining.

The statewide poll kicks off the Utah Priorities Project, an effort by the Utah Foundation, Deseret News and KSL to encourage discussion during the 2010 gubernatorial race.

"We try to find out what's really on the voters' minds," Stephen Kroes, president of the nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation, said Wednesday. "We're looking to get candidates talking about the issues, as determined by those voters."

The Utah Foundation is identifying voters' concerns for the third straight gubernatorial election cycle. The foundation will host a lunch today where both GOP Gov. Gary Herbert and his Democratic challenger in the gubernatorial race, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, will speak about the results of the poll.

It will be the first time the two major candidates for governor have appeared together at the same campaign event. A special election for the remainder of former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s term is set for November.

Kroes said the survey is just a first step in a research effort that will continue through the election season. Follow-up polls will track any movement in voters' priorities. The foundation will delve more deeply into the voter-designated top five issues, and sponsor forums and debates.

Participants in the poll, conducted by Dan Jones & Associates, were asked to rate their concern about a number of issues including the economy, taxes, education, growth, traffic, crime, pollution and gay rights.

While jobs and the economy ranked the highest, government spending was a close second and taxes ranked sixth. Energy-related issues such as gasoline and utility costs were seventh.

Voters' top worries about working in Utah were the availability of jobs in the state and the ability of young residents to find work and wages. When it comes to the state's economy, respondents were most concerned about the recession, followed by the impact of taxes.

But the 604 Utahns statewide questioned Feb. 23-March 2 had more than money on their minds. They ranked education third, followed by health care. Environmental issues came in at No. 9, and immigration at No. 10.

Two issues that received plenty of attention during the recently ended 2010 legislative session rounded out the list — the ethics of elected officials, rated No. 5 by poll respondents; and rights of states versus the power of federal government, ranked No. 8.

Kroes said that while some topics of concern have held up since 2004 — the economy, government spending and education for example — others, like gun issues and gay rights, have moved down the list.