Bountiful Wellbeing Survey Findings
May 2020
Dr. Courtney Flint
Utah State University Extension
Summary
Bountiful is one of 25 cities participating in the Utah Wellbeing Project. This project is designed to assess the wellbeing and local perspectives of city residents and to provide information to city leaders to inform their general planning process.
Eighteen cities participated in an online survey effort in February and March 2020. Bountiful City advertised the survey via social media, a newsletter, and the city website. All city residents age 18 and over were encouraged to take the online Qualtrics survey, available from February 6, 2020 and March 14, 2020.
A total of 350 completed surveys were recorded during this effort. This report contains descriptive information based on Bountiful resident responses and comparisons with other cities from this most recent survey effort.
Respondent Characteristics
The vast majority of Bountiful survey respondents (98%) were full-time residents. Length of residency ranged from 0 to 97 years with an average of 21 years. The majority of respondents (74%) had been living in Bountiful more than 5 years.
Table 1 details the demographic characteristics of the respondents and allows for comparison with U.S. Census information from the 2014-2018 American Community Survey. As the table shows, females and those with college degrees, children in the household, and household incomes greater than $75,000 were overrepresented. Latinos and other non-white individuals are underrepresented. There is no census comparison for religion. These characteristics should be taken into consideration when interpreting the findings from the survey, as survey respondents are not fully representative of Bountiful residents.
Table 1
Demographic Characteristics of Survey Respondents and U.S. Census Data for Bountiful
Demographic Characteristics | Bountiful Online Survey 2020 (350 Respondents) |
American Community Survey 2016-2020 Estimates |
---|---|---|
Age 18-39 | 37.7% | 44.8% |
Age 40-59 | 36.7% | 28.2% |
Age 60 or Over | 25.6% | 27.0% |
Female | 66.1% | 50.6% |
Male | 33.9% | 49.4% |
No college degree | 40.1% | 52.4% |
College degree (4-year) | 59.9% | 47.6% |
Median household income | NA | $83,660 |
Income Under $50,000 | 16.7% | 25.0% |
Income $50,000 to $74,999 | 13.8% | 19.8% |
Income $75,000 to $99,999 | 21.6% | 14.4% |
Income $100,000 to $149,999 | 24.9% | 22.5% |
Income $150,000 or over | 23.0% | 18.3% |
Religion: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
58.2% | NA |
Other religion | 10.9% | NA |
No religious preference | 30.9% | NA |
White (non-Latino) | 94.5% | 88.7% |
Nonwhite or Latino | 5.5% | 11.3% |
Children under 18 in household | 47.1% | 37.3% |
Employed (combined) | 66.8% | 64.9% (in labor force age 16+) |
Out of work and looking for work | 0.6% | 1.6% (unemployed) |
Other | 32.7% | 33.6% (not in labor force) |
Overall Personal Wellbeing and Overall Wellbeing in Bountiful
Survey participants were asked about their overall personal wellbeing and overall community wellbeing in Bountiful. These wellbeing indicators are both measured on a 5-point scale from very poor (1) to excellent (5). The average personal wellbeing score in Bountiful was 4.11, with 80% of respondents indicating their wellbeing at a 4 or 5 on the 5-point scale. The average score for community wellbeing in Bountiful was 3.96
The average personal wellbeing score in Bountiful falls into the top half of wellbeing scores for all cities surveyed in early 2020. The Utah League of Cities and Towns classifies Bountiful in the "Established/Mid-Sized City" group, along with three other cities in this study (Draper, Cedar City, and Tooele). Of these cities, Bountiful is above average, though not statistically different from Cedar City or Draper.
Wellbeing Domains in Bountiful
According to national and international entities tracking wellbeing, a number of common domains make up wellbeing. In this survey, respondents rated ten domains on a 5-point scale from poor to excellent, and indicated their importance to their overall personal wellbeing on a 5-point scale from not at all important to very important. Based on percentage with a good or excellent rating, the top three highest rated wellbeing domains for respondents were safety and security, living standards, and education. The top three most important wellbeing domains were safety and security, living standards, and local environmental quality. Mental health and physical health were also important or very important to most respondents.
The demographic variables for age, gender, education, religion, income, and race/ethnicity were significantly related to various wellbeing perspectives among Bountiful respondents. These relationships are shown in Table 2 and are based on a multivariate generalized linear model using the categories from Table 1, excluding children in household and employment.
Table 2
Relationship Between Demographic Characteristics and Wellbeing Domains
Domains Rated | Demographic Variables | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age 60+ | Female | College Degree | Latter-day Saint | Higher Income | Nonwhite or Latino | |
Wellbeing Ratings | ||||||
Overall Personal Wellbeing | – | + $150,000+ > under $50,000 |
||||
Wellbeing in Bountiful | + vs other religion |
+ $150,000+ > under $50,000 |
||||
Connection to Nature | + | + | ||||
Cultural Opportunities | + vs 18-39 |
– | ||||
Education | + vs 40-59 |
+ | + | |||
Leisure Time | + | + $150,000+ > under $50,000 |
||||
Living Standards | + | + | + vs other religion |
+ | ||
Local Environmental Quality | + vs other religion & no religious preference |
+ | ||||
Mental Health | + | + $150,000+ > under $50,000 |
||||
Physical Health | + | + vs no religious preference |
+ $150,000+ > under $50,000 |
|||
Safety & Security | ||||||
Social Connections | + | + | + vs other religion & no religious preference |
+ $150,000+ > under $50,000 |
||
Age 60+ | Female | College Degree | Latter-day Saint | Higher Income | Nonwhite or Latino | |
Domain Importance | ||||||
Connection to Nature | – vs no religious preference |
+ | ||||
Cultural Opportunities | + vs 40-59 |
+ | ||||
Education | + | + $150,000+ > $75,000-$99,000 |
||||
Leisure Time | ||||||
Living Standards | + | + | ||||
Local Environmental Quality | – vs other religion & no religious preference |
+ $150,000+ > under $50,000 |
||||
Mental Health | + | |||||
Physical Health | + vs 18-39 |
+ | ||||
Safety and Security | + | |||||
Social Connections | + |
Wellbeing Matrix for Bountiful
The graph below illustrates the relationship between the average rating and the average importance of wellbeing domains for survey respondents from Bountiful. Local Environmental Quality falls into the red quadrant, indicating that it was found to be of higher than average importance but rated lower than average. Physical Health and Mental Health are also approaching this quadrant, as their overall importance scores are quite high, yet their overall ratings are only slightly higher than the overall average rating. It is important to note that all domains have an average rating above 3.0 (moderate) and the importance score for all domains is higher than 3.0 (moderately important).
Community Action & Connections in Bountiful
Survey participants were asked about community actions and connectedness to community in Bountiful. Both questions were scored on a 5-point scale from not at all (1) to a great deal (5). When asked about the degree to which people take action together in response to local problems or opportunities in Bountiful, the average score was 3.63. When asked about the degree they feel connected to their community, the average score was 3.23.
In terms of demographics, those age 60 and over and those that indicated their religion is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were more likely to report that people in Bountiful take action in response to local problems or opportunities than non-religious individuals or individuals belonging to a different religious group (see Table 3). They also reported higher levels of community connectedness. Moreover, a significant, positive relationship between individuals' community connectedness and their overall personal wellbeing.
Table 3
Demographic Characteristics and Community Questions
Community Questions | Age 60+ | Female | College Degree | Latter-day Saint | Higher Income | Nonwhite or Latino |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Do people in Bountiful take action? | + vs 18-39 |
+ | ||||
Do you feel connected to your community? | + vs 18-39 |
+ |
Influence of Landscape on Wellbeing
Survey participants were asked about the influence of landscape features on their wellbeing. Natural landscape including mountains, rivers and streams, and lakes, as well as trails and city parks, were found to have an overwhelmingly positive influence on wellbeing. Farmland and red rock also had a positive influence for the majority of survey respondents.
In terms of development and industry in the landscape, over one-third (39%) of respondents indicated that the presence of commercial development has a positive influence on their wellbeing and one-third indicated that residential development has a positive influence. Comparatively, over two-thirds of respondents indicated that extractive industry has a negative influence on their wellbeing and almost half (48%) indicated that manufacturing industry has a negative influence.
Perspectives on Population Growth and Economic Development in Bountiful
Almost half (46%) of survey respondents noted that the rate of population growth in Bountiful is too fast, while 38% indicated that it is just right. Comparatively, 43% of survey respondents indicated that the pace of economic development is just right while just over one-third (35%) indicated that it is too slow. Compared to other cities surveyed in early 2020, Bountiful had a relatively small percentage of respondents indicate that population growth is too fast and a relatively small percentage indicate that economic development is too slow.
Risks and Assets for Wellbeing in Bountiful
Survey respondents indicated the degree to which a number of possible local issues were a major or minor risk or asset to wellbeing in Bountiful (see Table 4).
Table 4
Top Rated Risks and Assets by Bountiful Respondents
Highest Rated Assets (indicated by at least 84% of respondents) |
Highest Rated Risks (Indicated by at least 25% of respondents) |
Public Safety | Substance Abuse |
Recreation Opportunities | Air Quality |
Access to Quality Food | Affordable Housing |
Access to Health Care | |
Access to Public Land |
Respondents also wrote in other assets and risks as shown in Table 5. It is clear that some people not only listed current assets, but also those they wish Bountiful had.
Table 5
Other Assets and Risks Mentioned by Bountiful Respondents
Other Assets | Other Risks | ||
---|---|---|---|
Parks for all including people with animals, walking access to parks (2) | Access to art, arts and culture (2) | Exceptionally exclusionary attitude of LDS Church, not belonging to dominant religion (4) | Overpopulation, growth (3) |
Bike lanes (2) | Dog park (3) | City government, current mayor (3) | Potholes, roads (2) |
Affordable family outings (all seasons) | Nature, open lands | High density housing, large apartment complexes (2) | Quality of internet, Utopia fiber internet (2) |
Backyard gardens | Opportunities for single adults | Location of refineries (2) | Traffic congestion and noise (2) |
Community outside of church | Proximity to urban center | Diversity | Taxes |
Deer presence | Small business | Friendliness to young families | The allowance of homeless population to drift into Bountiful |
Emergency services | Trails | Maintaining zoning standards | Theft |
Government access | Remove fluoride from water system | Water use | |
Restaurants | Church influence over government |
Housing Findings in Bountiful
Of the survey respondents,
- 84% live in a single-family house (6% townhome, 7% apartment, 3% condo or other).
- 83% own their home.
- 25% spend more than one-third of their after-tax income on rent or mortgage.
- 21% are very likely to change housing arrangements in the next 5 years (18% were somewhat likely, 61% said they were not at all likely or not very likely.
For those desiring a housing change,
- 71% seek to own their next housing (8% seek to rent, 21% not sure).
- 72% seek single-family housing, 13% seek a townhome, 5% seek an apartment.
According to survey respondents, the greatest obstacles in seeking new housing include the price and type of housing stock. Not having enough money was also indicated as an obstacle for 49% of respondents.
Summary of Open Comments
Respondents were given the opportunity to provide comments at the end of the survey. Comments were made by 113 Bountiful respondents (32% of those that completed the survey). Bountiful residents are concerned about a wide variety of issues, ranging from city leadership to air quality to shopping. Some people are worried about the increase in high-density housing, while the cost of housing is the primary concern of others. There is a sense of a class division between those who are established, long term residents and the younger families. Many people wish there were a greater variety of shopping and dining options available within Bountiful. Several people voiced frustrations with the city leadership and the current spending and development decisions. Another issue brought up is park maintenance and lack of recreational opportunities. Air pollution was mentioned several times, with many people concerned about their health. However, overall, many people love living in Bountiful and are pleased with all it has to offer.
Dominant themes in comments included the following:
- Building too much high-density housing
- Lacking restaurant and shopping variety
- Problems with traffic and transportation
- Offering recreation maintenance and opportunities
- A love of living in Bountiful
A Few Quotes:
- "Please stop making Bountiful into Little Salt Lake. Massive multifamily housing units and large commercial buildings are ruining the landscape of Bountiful."
- "I feel housing for people has risen so much to the point that so many younger families cannot afford to get into a home. Also, the price of rent is so high that they cannot save for a home because the rent on their apartment or townhouse is so high."
- "Clean air should be a priority! Bountiful citizens feel like our air quality gets sold to the highest bidder - the refineries pumping hazards into the air take precedence over anything and it's incredibly frustrating."
- "I feel like our city struggles a lot with ageism. Everything from marketing, housing, religious practices, social engagements, employment, etc. seem to do a lot with age. The old and the young separate themselves so much that I feel it's a huge struggle to connect with the heritage of Bountiful and its people."
Summary