Eagle Mountain Wellbeing Survey Findings
May 2020
Dr. Courtney Flint
Utah State University Extension
Summary
Eagle Mountain City 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. Eagle Mountain City advertised the survey via social media and city email lists. All city residents age 18 and over were encouraged to take the online Qualtrics survey, available from February 13, 2020 to March 15, 2020.
A total of 506 completed surveys were recorded during this effort. This report contains descriptive information based on Eagle Mountain resident responses and comparisons with other cities from this most recent survey effort.
Respondent Characteristics
Eagle Mountain survey respondents were full-time residents. The length of residency ranged from 0 to 25 years with an average of 7.3 years. Almost half (49.3%) of the respondents lived in Eagle Mountain for 5 years or less.
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 are overrepresented in the resulting survey sample and nonwhite or Latino residents 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 Eagle Mountain residents.
Table 1
Demographic Characteristics of Survey Respondents and U.S. Census Data for Eagle Mountain
Demographic Characteristics | Eagle Mountain Online Survey 2020 (506 Respondents) |
American Community Survey 2016-2020 Estimates |
---|---|---|
Age 18-39 | 53.0% | 65.5% |
Age 40-59 | 38.2% | 27.9% |
Age 60 or Over | 8.9% | 6.6% |
Female | 67.8% | 47.9% |
Male | 32.2% | 52.1% |
No college degree | 51.9% | 64.6% |
College degree (4-year) | 48.1% | 35.4% (age 25+) |
Median household income | NA | $87,094 |
Income Under $50,000 | 10.7% | 15.2% |
Income $50,000 to $74,999 | 19.8% | 20.5% |
Income $75,000 to $99,999 | 31.0% | 29.9% |
Income $100,000 to $149,999 | 26.8% | 25.3% |
Income $150,000 or over | 11.7% | 9.1% |
Religion: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
70.2% | NA |
Other religion | 11.8% | NA |
No religious preference | 18.0% | NA |
White (non-Latino) | 90.6% | 85.4% |
Nonwhite or Latino | 9.4% | 14.6% |
Children under 18 in household | 74.5% | 77.7% (related only) |
Employed (combined) | 76.1% | 72.8% (in labor force age 16+) |
Out of work and looking for work | 0.6% | 2.7% (unemployed) |
Other | 23.3% | 24.6% (not in labor force) |
Overall Personal Wellbeing and Overall Wellbeing in Eagle Mountain
Survey participants were asked about their overall personal wellbeing and overall community wellbeing in Eagle Mountain. These wellbeing indicators are measured on a 5-point scale from very poor (1) to excellent (5). The average personal wellbeing score in Eagle Mountain was 4.14, with 84% of respondents indicating their wellbeing at a 4 or 5 on the 5-point scale. The average score for community wellbeing in Eagle Mountain was 3.79.
The average personal wellbeing score in Eagle Mountain falls into the top half of wellbeing scores for all cities surveyed in early 2020. The Utah League of Cities and Towns classifies Eagle Mountain in the “Rapid Growth City” group, along with eight other cities in this study as indicated in the graph below. Eagle Mountain is above average on personal wellbeing scores in this group, but there is no statistically significant difference among these cities.
Wellbeing Domains in Eagle Mountain
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 mental health. The three most important wellbeing domains were safety and security, living standards, and mental health.
The demographic variables for age, gender, college degree, income, and race/ethnicity were significantly related to various wellbeing perspectives among Eagle Mountain respondents. These relationships are shown in Table 2 below and are based on a multivariate generalized linear model using the categories from Table 1, excluding children in household and employment. Religion and income played particularly strong roles in wellbeing ratings.
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 | – | + vs other religion |
+ | |||
Wellbeing in Eagle Mountain | + vs other religion and no religious preference |
|||||
Connection to Nature | + $150,000+ > $50,000-$74,999 |
|||||
Cultural Opportunities | + $150,000+ > $50,000-$74,999 |
|||||
Education | + | + vs other religion |
+ | |||
Leisure Time | ||||||
Living Standards | + | |||||
Local Environmental Quality | + vs no religious preference |
|||||
Mental Health | + vs other religion |
+ | ||||
Physical Health | + | |||||
Safety & Security | – | + vs other religion |
+ | |||
Social Connections | + vs other religion and 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 | + $150,000+ > $50,000-$74,999 |
|||||
Cultural Opportunities | ||||||
Education | – vs 18-39 |
+ vs other religion |
||||
Leisure Time | ||||||
Living Standards | – | + $150,000+ > under $50,000 |
||||
Local Environmental Quality | – vs no religious preference |
|||||
Mental Health | ||||||
Physical Health | + $150,000+ > under $50,000 |
|||||
Safety and Security | ||||||
Social Connections | + |
Wellbeing Matrix for Eagle Mountain
The graph below illustrates the relationship between the average rating and the average importance of wellbeing domains for survey respondents from Eagle Mountain. There is a positive relationship between wellbeing domain importance and wellbeing domain ratings: domains that are rated as more important also tend to be rated higher. There are no wellbeing domains that fall into the red quadrant, which identifies domains that are rated lower than average but have higher than average importance. However, Physical Health approaches this quadrant. It is important to note that all domains except for cultural opportunities have an average rating above 3.0 (moderate) and the importance score for all domains was higher than 3.0 (moderately important).
Community Action & Connections in Eagle Mountain
Survey participants were asked about community actions and connectedness to community in Eagle Mountain. 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 Eagle Mountain, the average score was 3.43. When asked about the degree they feel connected to their community, the average score was 3.08.
In terms of demographics, religion and race/ethnicity played significant roles (see Table 3). Respondents who identify as Latter-day Saints were more likely to indicate that people take action in Eagle Mountain in response to problems and opportunities and indicated higher levels of community connectedness. Comparatively, nonwhite or Latino residents were less likely to indicate that people take action in their community and indicated lower levels of community connectedness. Additionally, there is 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 Eagle Mountain take action? | + vs other religion and no religious preference | – | ||||
Do you feel connected to your community? | + vs other religion and no religious preference | – |
Influence of Landscape on Wellbeing
Survey participants were asked about the influence of landscape features on their wellbeing. Mountains, trails, rivers and streams, city parks, and lakes were found to have an overwhelmingly positive influence on wellbeing. Farmland and red rock were also positive for the majority of survey respondents.
In terms of development and industry in the landscape, just over half of the survey respondents indicated that the presence of commercial development has a positive influence on their wellbeing. On the other hand, respondents indicated more negative perceptions of residential development as well as manufacturing and extractive industry.
Perspectives on Population Growth and Economic Development in Eagle Mountain
The majority of respondents indicated they felt population growth was too fast (72%) but were more widely distributed on the question of economic development, with 50% indicating they felt it was too slow, 32% indicating just right, and 15% indicating too fast. Compared to the other cities in the winter 2020 survey, Eagle Mountain ranked toward the top in terms of respondents indicating they felt population growth was too fast. On the other hand, Eagle Mountain is toward the middle when comparing the percentage of respondents that considered economic development too slow in their community.
Risks and Assets for Wellbeing in Eagle Mountain
Survey respondents indicated the degree to which a number of local issues were a major or minor risk or major or asset to wellbeing in Eagle Mountain (see Table 4).
Table 4
Top Rated Risks and Assets by Eagle Mountain Respondents
Highest Rated Assets (indicated by at least 75% of respondents) |
Highest Rated Risks (Indicated by at least 20% of respondents) |
Public Safety | Substance Abuse |
Recreation Opportunities | Shopping Opportunities |
Access to Public Land | Electronic Devices |
Air Quality | Roads and Transportation |
Access to Quality Food |
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 Eagle Mountain had.
Table 5
Other Assets and Risks Mentioned by Eagle Mountain Respondents
Other Assets | Other Risks | ||
---|---|---|---|
Recreational land access, open space, trails, open views to nature (4) | Affordability, Low taxes, economy, security (2) | Too many condensed housing units, rush for high density (7) | Fast growth, overcrowding, overdeveloped (5) |
Clean, well-kept areas and homes, cleanliness (2) | Dark and quiet night skies (2) | Air quality, air pollution, dust (3) | Single internet provider, TV Overpriced internet service (3) |
Food, restaurants (2) | Great community, sense of belonging (2) | Availability of major roads, very few in/out routes (2) | Lack of code enforcement (2) |
Less traffic (2) | Rec center (2) | No rec center, civic center (2) | Traffic (2) |
Better water | Communication within city for emergencies | Commute times | Construction trucks use engine breaks |
Dog park | EV charging stations | Emergency response | HOAs |
Farmland | Grocery stores | Honesty in government employees | Installing traffic lights everywhere in such a small town |
Library | Mass transit | Lack of public transportation | Liberal policies |
Not having an HOA | Quality schools | Nationalism | Not enough seniors |
Resident safety | Separation of church and state | Over populated public shools | Reduced speed limits |
Stop lights | Water quality | Religious dominance | Roads crowded, everyone speeds |
Wildlife | Suburban sprawl |
Summary of Open Comments
Respondents were given the opportunity to provide comments at the end of the survey. Comments were made by 170 respondents (34% of those that completed the survey). Many of the concerns of Eagle Mountain residents were related to the rate of growth and development in their city. This includes housing density, traffic, loss of open space, and insufficient infrastructure. However, many comments were about wanting more amenities like dining, shopping, and entertainment, as well as more recreation facilities and opportunities. Overall, Eagle Mountain residents want to responsibly manage population growth while bringing in more commerce and improving infrastructure.
Dominant themes in comments included the following:
- Desire to slow down and manage growth
- Calls for less high-density housing
- Concerns about traffic and roads
- Calls for more dining, shopping, and recreation opportunities
- Lamenting the loss of farmland and open space
A Few Quotes
- “I feel the houses in Eagle Mountain are being built at an extremely fast rate. I understand growth, but also love the small town feel of Eagle Mountain.”
- “I love our city and I'm glad for some growth (especially Ridley's), but I hope that future growth is well planned and responsible so that we can somewhat maintain our small-town feel and preserve the natural beauty of the area.”
- “The city needs more access to things like grocery stores, restaurants and shopping than it has; especially in city center. We see a growth in residents but not in other things.”
- “Traffic is my biggest concern. The city is growing faster than the roads can handle it.”