By Dr. Courtney Flint | May 20, 2020

Hurricane Wellbeing Survey Findings

May 2020

Dr. Courtney Flint
Utah State University Extension

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Summary

Hurricane 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. Hurricane City advertised the survey via social media. All city residents age 18 and over were encouraged to take the online Qualtrics survey, available from February 3, 2020 to March 3, 2020.

A total of 254 completed surveys were recorded during this effort. This report contains descriptive information based on Hurricane resident responses and comparisons with other cities from this most recent survey effort.

Public intercept surveys with iPads were conducted in May 2019. A report based on those findings is available at https://usu.edu/utah-wellbeing-project/.

Contact Information: Courtney Flint, courtney.flint@usu.edu, 435-797-8635
Acknowledgements: Utah League of Cities and Towns, Casey Trout, Rachel Sagers, and Caitlyn Rogers

Respondent Characteristics

The vast majority of Hurricane survey respondents (94.5%) were full-time residents. Length of residency ranged from 0 to 60 years with an average of 12 years. The majority of respondents (59%) had been living in Hurricane more than 5 years. Residents reported living in various neighborhoods: Dixie Springs (26.9% of respondents), Sky Mountain (20.6%), North Area (15.8%), Hurricane Old Town (13.0%), Hurricane Fields (11.5%), Hurricane South Town (8.7%), or another neighborhood not listed (3.6%).

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. The resulting survey sample overrepresents females, those with a college degree, and those with children in the household. The survey underrepresents individuals age 60 or over, those with incomes under $50,000, and those who are nonwhite or Latino. There is no census comparison for religion. These characteristics should be taken into consideration when interpreting the findings from the survey, as respondents are not fully representative of Hurricane residents.

Table 1

Demographic Characteristics of Survey Respondents and U.S. Census Data for Hurricane

Demographic Characteristics Hurricane iPad Survey 2020 (55 Respondents) Hurricane
Online Survey 2020
(254 Respondents)		 American Community Survey
2016-2020 Estimates
Age 18-39  32.7% 35.2% 35.9%
Age 40-59  23.7% 38.9% 30.7%
Age 60 or Over  43.6% 25.9% 33.4%
Female  67.3% 72.1% 46.8%
Male  32.7% 27.9% 53.2%
No college degree  69.1% 69.0% 82.1%
College degree (4-year)  30.9% 31.0% 17.9%
Median household income NA  NA $57,882
Income Under $50,000  39.2% 30.4% 42.6%
Income $50,000 to $74,999  23.5% 25.1% 19.2%
Income $75,000 to $99,999  13.7% 18.4% 16.5%
Income $100,000 to $149,999  13.7% 17.4% 12.3%
Income $150,000 or over  9.8% 8.7% 9.4%
Religion: Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints		  61.5% 47.4% NA
Other religion  13.5% 24.2% NA
No religious preference  25.0% 28.4% NA
White (non-Latino)  89.1% 94.9% 86.0%
Nonwhite or Latino  10.9% 5.1% 14.0%
Children under 18 in household  NA 49.3% 36.1%
Employed (combined) NA  58.8% 56.8%
Out of work and looking for work NA  0% 1.0% (unemployed)
Other NA  41.2% 42.2% (not in labor force)

Overall Personal Wellbeing and Overall Wellbeing in Hurricane

Survey participants were asked about their overall personal wellbeing and overall community wellbeing in Hurricane. These wellbeing indicators are both measured on a 5-point scale from very poor (1) to excellent (5). The average personal wellbeing score in Hurricane was 4.09, with 78% indicating of respondents indicating 4 or 5 on the 5-point scale. The average score for community wellbeing in Hurricane was 3.74. Comparing neighborhoods, Dixie Springs had the highest average wellbeing score while Hurricane Old Town had the lowest.

Dot Plot. Title: Average Personal Wellbeing Scores in Hurricane Neighborhoods. Subtitle: (On a scale from 1= Very Poor to 5 = Excellent). Dixie Springs: Average Score 4.46; Hurricane Fields: Average Score 4.11; North Area: Average Score 4.03; Sky Mountain: Average Score 3.94; Hurricane South Town: Average Score 3.91; Hurricane Old Town: Average Score 3.88.

Bar chart. Title: Personal Wellbeing in Hurricane. Subtitle: How would you rate your overall personal wellbeing? Data - 1 Very Poor: 0% of respondents; 2: 4% of respondents; 3: 19% of respondents; 4: 43% of respondents; 5 Excellent: 35% of respondents.

Bar Chart. Title: Community Wellbeing in Hurricane. Subtitle: How would you rate overall wellbeing in Hurricane? Data - 1 Very Poor: 1% of respondents; 2: 6% of respondents; 3: 30% of respondents; 4: 42% of respondents; 5 Excellent: 20% of respondents.

The average personal wellbeing score in Hurricane falls just above the average of all cities surveyed in early 2020. The Utah League of Cities and Towns classifies Hurricane in the “Rapid Growth Cities” group, along with eight other cities in this study as indicated in the graph below. Hurricane is above average on personal wellbeing scores within this group, but there is no statistically significant difference in the average wellbeing score among these cities.

Dot Plot. Title: Overall Personal Wellbeing Scores from Sampled Utah Cities (2020). Subtitle: (On a scale from 1=Very Poor to 5=Excellent). Group: Established/Mid-Sized Cities. Draper: Average Score 4.24; Bountiful: Average Score 4.11; Cedar City: Average Score 3.99; Tooele: Average Score 3.77. Group: Rapid Growth Cities. North Logan: Average Score 4.23; La Verkin: Average Score 4.18; Eagle Mountain: Average Score 4.14; Saratoga Springs: Average Score 4.14; Santaquin: Average Score 4.11; Hurricane: Average Score 4.09; Lehi: Average Score 4.09; Nibley: Average Score 4.08; Herriman: Average Score 3.99. Group: Rural, Rural Hub, & Resort Cities. Richfield: Average Score 4.12; Helper: Average Score 4.10; Delta: Average Score 3.99; Nephi: Average Score 3.98; Moab: Average Score 3.93.

Wellbeing Domains in Hurricane

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, local environmental quality, and connection with nature. The importance of domains was indicated on a 5-point scale from not at all important to very important. The most important wellbeing domains were safety and security, living standards, and physical health.

Likert Graph. Title: Wellbeing Domain Ratings in Hurricane. Subtitle: How would you rate your level of personal wellbeing in each of the following categories? Category: Safety and Security - 22% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 78% rated as good or excellent; Category: Local Environmental Quality - 28% of respondents rated as poor, fair or moderate while 72% rated as good or excellent; Category: Connection with Nature - 29% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 71% rated as good or excellent; Category: Mental Health - 30% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 70% rated as good or excellent; Category: Living Standards - 32% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 68% rated as good or excellent; Category: Leisure Time - 34% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 66% rated as good or excellent; Physical Health - 37% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 63% rated as good or excellent; Category: Social Connections - 45% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 55% rated as good or excellent; Category: Education - 45% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 55% rated as good or excellent; Category: Cultural Opportunities - 69% of respondents rated as poor, fair or moderate while 31% rated as good or excellent.


Likert Graph. Title: Wellbeing Domain Importance in Hurricane. Subtitle: How important are the following categories to your overall personal wellbeing? Category: Safety and Security - 3% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 97% rated as important or very important; Category: Living Standards - 4% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 96% of respondents rated as important or very important; Category: Physical Health - 5% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 95% rated as important or very important; Category: Mental Health - 9% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 91% rated as important or very important; Category: Leisure Time - 10% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 90% rated as important or very important; Category: Local Environmental Quality - 11% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 89% rated as important or very important; Category: Connection with Nature - 27% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 73% rated as important or very important; Category: Education – 32% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 68% rated as important or very important; Category: Social Connections - 37% rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 63% rated as important or very important; Category: Cultural Opportunities - 57% rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 43% rated as important or very important.

The demographic variables for age, gender, college degree, religion, and income were significantly related to various wellbeing perspectives among Hurricane 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            
Wellbeing in Hurricane      
–
$150,000+ > $75,000-$99,999		  
Connection to Nature +
vs 18-39		          
Cultural Opportunities       +
vs no religious preference 		    
Education       +
vs no religious preference 		    
Leisure Time +
vs 18-39		          
Living Standards         +
$150,000+ >
under $50,000		  
Local Environmental Quality            
Mental Health            
Physical Health              
Safety & Security     +       
Social Connections       +
vs no religious preference		    
  Age 60+ Female College Degree Latter-day Saint Higher Income Nonwhite or Latino
  Domain Importance 
Connection to Nature            
Cultural Opportunities     +       
Education –          
Leisure Time            
Living Standards            
Local Environmental Quality        –
vs no religious preference and other religion		    
Mental Health            
Physical Health            
Safety and Security    +        
Social Connections          + $150,000+ >
$100,000-$149,999
   

Wellbeing Matrix for Hurricane

The graph below illustrates the relationship between the average rating and the average importance of wellbeing domains for survey respondents from Hurricane. None of the domains fall into the red quadrant. However, Physical Health approaches this quadrant, as its average importance is greater than the overall average importance of the domains while its average rating is only slightly higher than the overall average rating of the domains. 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).

Scatterplot. Title: Hurricane Wellbeing Matrix. Domains are classified into four quadrants depending on their average rating and average importance as compared to the average of all the average domain ratings and the average of all the average domain importance ratings. High rating, high importance (green quadrant) domains include: Safety and Security, Living Standards, Mental Health, Physical Health, Leisure Time, and Local Environmental Quality. High rating, lower Importance (blue quadrant) domains include: Connection with Nature. Lower rating, lower importance (yellow quadrant) domains include: Education, Social Connections, and Cultural Opportunities. Lower rating, high importance (red quadrant) domains include: Local Environmental Quality.

Community Action & Connections in Hurricane

Survey participants were asked about community actions and connectedness to community in Hurricane. 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 Hurricane, the average score was 3.46. When asked about the degree they feel connected to their community, the average score was 3.03.

Bar chart. Title: Community Action in Hurricane. Subtitle: In Hurricane, to what degree do people take action together in response to local problems or opportunities? Data - 1 Not at All: 3% of respondents; 2: 14% of respondents; 3: 33% of respondents; 4: 37% of respondents; 5 A Great Deal: 14% of respondents.

Bar chart. Title: Community Connection in Hurricane. Subtitle: In Hurricane, to what degree do you feel connected to your community? Data - 1 Not at All: 11% of respondents; 2: 22% of respondents; 3: 29% of respondents; 4: 29% of respondents; 5 A Great Deal: 9% of respondents.

In terms of demographic characteristics, those from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints indicated higher levels of perceived action in Hurricane and they also feel more connected to their community than those from other religions or those with no religious preference (see Table 3). Additionally, there is a significant, positive relationship between individuals’ community connectedness and their 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 Hurricane take action?
    +
vs no religous preference and other religion		    
Do you feel connected to your community?       +
vs no religous preference and other religion		    

Likert Graph. Title: Comparing Overall Wellbeing and Community Connection in Hurricane. Of the 9 respondents that rate their overall personal wellbeing as a 1 or 2, 78% indicate a community connection score of 1, 2, or 3 while 22% indicate a community connection score of 4 or 5. Of the 41 respondents that rate their overall personal wellbeing as a 3, 71% indicate a community connection score of 1, 2, or 3 while 29% indicate a community connection score of 4 or 5. Of the 95 respondents that rate their overall personal wellbeing as a 4, 68% indicate a community connection score of 1, 2, or 3 while 32% indicate a community connection score of 4 or 5. Of the 79 participants that rate their overall wellbeing as a 5, 48% indicate a community connection score of 1, 2, or 3 while 52% indicate a community connection score of 4 or 5.

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, red rock, and lakes, as well as trails, city parks, and farmland were found to have an overwhelmingly positive influence on wellbeing.

In terms of development and industry in the landscape, just under one-third of survey respondents indicated that extractive industry has a negative influence on their wellbeing, while nearly 60% indicated that it has neither a negative nor a positive influence. On the other hand, more respondents indicated that commercial development, residential development, and manufacturing industry have a positive influence on their wellbeing than a negative influence.

Likert Graph. Title: The Role of Landscape Features in Hurricane Residents' Wellbeing. Subtitle: How does the presence of the following landscape features influence your wellbeing? Feature: Mountains - 0% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 3% indicated neither, 97% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Rivers and Streams - 0% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 6% indicated neither, 94% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Red Rock - 1% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 5% indicated neither, 94% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Lakes - 0% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 12% indicated neither, 88% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Trails - 3% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 11% indicated neither, 86% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: City Parks - 3% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 19% indicated neither, 78% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Farmland - 2% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 23% indicated neither, 75% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Commercial Development - 19% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 38% indicated neither, 43% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Residential Development - 27% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 41% indicated neither, 32% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Manufacturing Industry - 16% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 61% indicated neither, 23% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Extractive Industry - 32% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 59% indicated neither, 9% indicated positively or very positively.

Perspectives on Population Growth and Economic Development in Hurricane

Over half (56%) of survey respondents indicated that population growth is too fast, while just over one-third (34%) indicated that it is just right. Comparatively, nearly half of survey respondents (47%) indicated that economic development is too slow, while just under one-third (32%) indicated it is just right. Compared to other cities surveyed in early 2020, Hurricane ranked in the mid-range regarding perspectives on population growth and the pace of economic development.

Bar Chart. Title: Population Growth in Hurricane. Subtitle: How would you describe the current rate of population growth in Hurricane? Data - Too Slow: 2% of respondents; Just Right: 34% of respondents; Too Fast: 56% of respondents; No Opinion: 8% of respondents. Bar Chart. Title: Economic Development in Hurricane. Subtitle: How would you describe the current pace of economic development in Hurricane? Data - Too Slow: 47% of respondents; Just Right - 32% of respondents; Too Fast - 14% of respondents; No Opinion - 7% of respondents.

Likert Graph. Title: Population Growth in Sampled Utah Cities. Herriman - 1% of respondents indicated too slow, 91% indicated too fast; Lehi - 0% of respondents indicated too slow, 83% indicated too fast; Saratoga Springs - 1% of respondents indicated too slow, 80% indicated too fast; Eagle Mountain - 0% of respondents indicated too slow, 72% indicated too fast; Draper - 1% of respondents indicated too slow, 72% indicated too fast; Santaquin - 1% of respondents indicated too slow, 72% indicated too fast; Tooele - 3% of respondents indicated too slow, 70% indicated too fast. North Logan - 0% of respondents indicated too slow, 66% indicated too fast. Moab - 4% of respondents indicated too slow, 64% indicated too fast; Nibley - 0% of respondents indicated too slow, 60% indicated too fast; Hurricane - 2% of respondents indicated too slow, 56% indicated too fast; Nephi - 6% of respondents indicated too slow, 53% indicated too fast; Bountiful - 3% of respondents indicated too slow, 46% indicated too fast; Cedar City - 2% of respondents indicated too slow, 46% indicated too fast; La Verkin - 12% of respondents indicated too slow, 35% indicated too fast; Richfield - 14% of respondents indicated too slow, 18% indicated too fast; Delta - 31% of respondents indicated too slow, 9% indicated too fast; Helper - 22% of respondents indicated too slow, 8% indicated too fast.

Likert Graph. Title: Economic Development in Sampled Utah Cities. Draper - 4% of respondents indicated too slow, 44% indicated too fast; Lehi - 9% of respondents indicated too slow, 56% indicated too fast; Nibley - 19% of respondents indicated too slow, 23% indicated too fast; Moab - 24% of respondents indicated too slow, 62% indicated too fast; North Logan - 29% of respondents indicated too slow, 19% indicated too fast; Bountiful - 35% of respondents indicated too slow, 14% indicated too fast; Cedar City - 44% of respondents indicated too slow, 9% indicated too fast; Saratoga Springs - 45% of respondents indicated too slow, 14% indicated too fast; Hurricane - 47% of respondents indicated too slow, 14% indicated too fast; Herriman - 48% of respondents indicated too slow, 23% indicated too fast; Eagle Mountain - 50% of respondents indicated too slow, 15% indicated too fast; Helper - 52% of respondents indicated too slow, 2% indicated too fast; Nephi - 54% of respondents indicated too slow, 9% indicated too fast; La Verkin - 56% of respondents indicated too slow, 11% indicated too fast; Santaquin - 58% of respondents indicated too slow, 12% indicated too fast; Richfield - 63% of respondents indicated too slow, 5% indicated too fast; Tooele - 63% of respondents indicated too slow, 10% indicated too fast; Delta - 80% of respondents indicated too slow, 0% indicated too fast.

Risks and Assets for Wellbeing in Hurricane

Survey respondents indicated the degree to which a number of possible local issues were a major or minor risk or asset to wellbeing in Hurricane (see Table 4).

Table 4
Top Rated Risks and Assets by Hurricane Respondents

Highest Rated Assets
(indicated by at least 70% of respondents)		 Highest Rated Risks
(Indicated by at least 20% of respondents)
Air Quality Substance Abuse
Recreation Opportunities Access to Healthcare
Access to Public Land Affordable Housing
Public Safety Employment Opportunities
  Shopping Opportunities

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 Hurricane had.

Table 5
Other Assets and Risks Mentioned by Hurricane Respondents

Other Assets Other Risks
Affordable housing Air quality All support services, especially police, should be well staffed and well paid City cooperating with residential building
Busing Enforcing laws Cops Criminal activity
More shade public facilities Pet friendly housing Housing developers in RA locations Mormon influence
School security   Need another road to I-15 Poor road maintainance
    Shopping SR9 needs to be fixed immediately with easy access to Quail Lakes Estates and Lava Bluff
    Too many move ins Vacation rentals

Summary of Open Comments

Respondents were given the opportunity to provide comments at the end of the survey. Comments were made by 69 respondents (27% of those that completed the survey). The two main concerns brought up by Herriman residents were a desire for more economic amenities like restaurants and shopping, and a desire to slow down and control growth. Other concerns included the affordability of living and housing, the lack of recreation facilities, safety and crime, and improvement of Herriman’s city image.

Dominant themes in comments included the following:

  • Gap between cost of living and wages
  • Lacking restaurant and shopping variety
  • Wanting slow and controlled growth
  • Wanting maintenance and improvement of city image and infrastructure
  • Concerns about safety and crime
A Few Quotes:

  • “We need controlled development to ensure the future of this wonderful place.”
  • “Hurricane needs more affordable family restaurants. Maybe more shopping venues.”
  • “We need better food, and better shopping, to help the tourists stay in town longer, and spending more money in town. This would give our town more money from taxes to do more things they want to do.”
  • “Slow the growth. The growth is too rapid for the infrastructure, the emergency services, etc.”
  • “Wages and housing are not realistic here, I was born and raised here and if housing doesn’t improve I’m worried that myself and family will be forced from our home town to make way for retirees, tourists, and winter birds.”
  • “Make downtown Hurricane an attractive place for tourists! More eateries and gift shops with a quaint downtown feel."
Pie Chart. Title: Tone of Comment. Data: 8 positive comments, 56 negative comments, 5 mixed comments.       Bar chart. Title: Major Themes. Theme: Lacking Economic Amenities – mentioned 15 times; Growth and Development – mentioned 12 times; City Image – mentioned 8 times; Crime/Drugs – mentioned 6 times; Youth Activities – mentioned 5 times; Traffic – mentioned 5 times.

 

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