By Dr. Courtney Flint | May 20, 2020

Nephi Wellbeing Survey Findings

May 2020

Dr. Courtney Flint
Utah State University Extension

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Summary

Nephi 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. Nephi City advertised the survey via social media, newsletter, and locally distributed flyers. All city residents age 18 and over were encouraged to take the online Qualtrics survey, available from February 5, 2020 to March 16, 2020.

A total of 275 completed surveys were recorded during this effort. This report contains descriptive information based on Nephi resident responses and comparisons with other cities from this most recent survey effort.

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

Nearly all of the Nephi survey respondents (96%) were full-time residents. The length of residency ranged from 0.5 to 72 years with an average of 19 years. More than two-thirds of respondents (68%) lived in Nephi for 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, those with college degrees, those employed, and those with children in the household are overrepresented in the resulting survey sample. The survey underrepresents those with incomes under $50,000, nonwhites and Latinos, and those age 60 and over. There is no census comparison for religion. These characteristics should be taken into consideration when interpreting the findings from the survey, as survey respondents may not be fully representative of Nephi residents.

Table 1
Demographic Characteristics of Survey Respondents and U.S. Census Data for Nephi

Demographic Characteristics Nephi
Online Survey 2020
(275 Respondents)		 American Community Survey
2016-2020 Estimates
Age 18-39 44.5% 42.9%
Age 40-59 36.8% 33.4%
Age 60 or Over 18.6% 23.7%
Female 64.5% 50.0%
Male 35.5% 50.0%
No college degree 57.7% 78.5%
College degree (4-year) 42.3% 21.5% (age 25+)
Median household income NA $69,118
Income Under $50,000 26.7% 48.4%
Income $50,000 to $74,999 30.9% 16.7%
Income $75,000 to $99,999 18.1% 16.6%
Income $100,000 to $149,999 16.0% 19.3%
Income $150,000 or over 8.2% 9.0%
Religion: Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints		 76.4% NA
Other religion 6.1% NA
No religious preference 17.5% NA
White (non-Latino) 93.8% 89.9%
Nonwhite or Latino 6.2% 10.1%
Children under 18 in household 57.1% 43.7%
Employed (combined) 72.8% 64.4% (in labor force age 16+)
Out of work and looking for work 0.4% 1.9% (unemployed)
Other 26.8% 33.7% (not in labor force)

Overall Personal Wellbeing and Overall Wellbeing in Nephi

Survey participants were asked about their overall personal wellbeing and overall community wellbeing in Nephi. These wellbeing indicators are both measured on a 5-point scale from very poor (1) to excellent (5). The average personal wellbeing score among Nephi respondents was 3.98. The average score for community wellbeing in Nephi was 3.63.

Bar chart. Title: Personal Wellbeing in Nephi. Subtitle: How would you rate your overall personal wellbeing? Data - 1 Very Poor: 2% of respondents; 2: 4% of respondents; 3: 19% of respondents; 4: 44% of respondents; 5 Excellent: 31% of respondents.

Bar Chart. Title: Community Wellbeing in Nephi. Subtitle: How would you rate overall wellbeing in Nephi? Data - 1 Very Poor: 3% of respondents; 2: 10% of respondents; 3: 29% of respondents; 4: 40% of respondents; 5 Excellent: 19% of respondents.

The average personal wellbeing score in Nephi falls below the average of all cities surveyed in early 2020. The Utah League of Cities and Towns classifies Nephi in the “Rural, Rural Hub & Resort Cities” group, along with four other cities in this study as indicated in the graph below. No statistically significant difference was found among these cities on personal wellbeing.

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 Nephi

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 local environmental quality. The most important wellbeing domains were safety and security, mental health, physical health, and living standards.

Likert Graph. Title: Wellbeing Domain Ratings in Nephi. Subtitle: How would you rate your level of personal wellbeing in each of the following categories? Category: Safety and Security - 24% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 76% rated as good or excellent; Category: Living Standards - 27% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 73% rated as good or excellent; Category: Local Environmental Quality - 27% of respondents rated as poor, fair or moderate while 73% rated as good or excellent; Category: Connection with Nature - 31% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 69% rated as good or excellent; Category: Mental Health - 33% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 67% rated as good or excellent; Category: Education - 33% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 67% rated as good or excellent; Category: Physical Health - 43% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 57% rated as good or excellent; Category: Leisure Time - 47% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 53% rated as good or excellent; Category: Social Connections - 50% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 50% rated as good or excellent; Category: Cultural Opportunities - 74% of respondents rated as poor, fair or moderate while 26% rated as good or excellent.


Likert Graph. Title: Wellbeing Domain Importance in Nephi. Subtitle: How important are the following categories to your overall personal wellbeing? Category: Safety and Security - 2% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 98% rated as important or very important; Category: Mental Health - 5% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 95% rated as important or very important; Category: Physical Health - 6% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 94% rated as important or very important; Category: Living Standards - 6% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 94% of respondents rated as important or very important; Category: Education - 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 - 12% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 88% rated as important or very important; Category: Leisure Time - 19% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 81% 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: 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 - 55% rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 45% rated as important or very important.


The demographic variables for age, gender, education, religion and income were significantly related to various wellbeing perspectives among Nephi 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 Nephi            
Connection to Nature            
Cultural Opportunities +
vs 40-59		          
Education        +
vs no religious preference		    
Leisure Time +
vs 40-59		      +
vs no religious preference		 +
$150,000+ >
under $50,000		  
Living Standards       +
vs no religious preference		 +  
Local Environmental Quality       +
vs no religious preference		    
Mental Health      +  +
vs other religion &
no religious preference		 +
$150,000+ >
under $50,000		  
Physical Health        + +
vs no religious preference		 +
$150,000+ >
under $50,000		  
Safety & Security       +
vs no religious preference 		 +   
Social Connections            
  Age 60+ Female College Degree Latter-day Saint Higher Income Nonwhite or Latino
  Domain Importance 
Connection to Nature            
Cultural Opportunities            
Education -
vs 18-39 		        - 
$150,000+ < $50,000-$75,999		  
Leisure Time            
Living Standards -
vs 18-39 		          
Local Environmental Quality            
Mental Health    +        
Physical Health           - 
$150,000+ > $75,000-$99,000		  
Safety and Security    +     +
vs no religious preference		    
Social Connections             

Wellbeing Matrix for Nephi

The graph below illustrates the relationship between the average rating and the average importance of wellbeing domains for survey respondents from Nephi. Physical Health falls into the red quadrant, indicating that it was found to be of higher than average importance, but rated lower than average. 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).

Scatterplot. Title: Nephi 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, and Physical Health. High rating, lower Importance (blue quadrant) domains include: Education, Connection with Nature, and Leisure Time. Lower rating, lower importance (yellow quadrant) domains include: Social Connections and Cultural Opportunities. Lower rating, high importance (red quadrant) domains include: Local Environmental Quality.

Community Action & Connections in Nephi

Survey participants were asked about community actions and connectedness to community in Nephi. 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 Nephi, the average score was 3.40. When asked about the degree they feel connected to their community, the average score was 3.15.     

Bar chart. Title: Community Action in Nephi. Subtitle: In Nephi, to what degree do people take action together in response to local problems or opportunities? Data - 1 Not at All: 3% of respondents; 2: 16% of respondents; 3: 34% of respondents; 4: 32% of respondents; 5 A Great Deal: 15% of respondents.

Bar chart. Title: Community Connection in Nephi. Subtitle: In Nephi, to what degree do you feel connected to your community? Data - 1 Not at All: 8% of respondents; 2: 23% of respondents; 3: 28% of respondents; 4: 29% of respondents; 5 A Great Deal: 12% of respondents.

In terms of demographic characteristics and community-related questions, religion and income played significant roles as shown in Table 3 below. Additionally, a significant, positive relationship was found 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 Nephi take action?       +
vs other religion		    
Do you feel connected to your community?       +
vs other religion and no religious preference		 +   

Likert Graph. Title: Comparing Overall Wellbeing and Community Connection in Nephi. Of the 17 respondents that rate their overall personal wellbeing as a 1 or 2, 94% indicate a community connection score of 1, 2, or 3 while 6% indicate a community connection score of 4 or 5. Of the 49 respondents that rate their overall personal wellbeing as a 3, 80% indicate a community connection score of 1, 2, or 3 while 20% indicate a community connection score of 4 or 5. Of the 115 respondents that rate their overall personal wellbeing as a 4, 58% indicate a community connection score of 1, 2, or 3 while 42% indicate a community connection score of 4 or 5. Of the 78 participants that rate their overall wellbeing as a 5, 38% indicate a community connection score of 1, 2, or 3 while 62% 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. Mountains, rivers and streams, trails, lakes, city parks, farmland, and red rock were found to have an overwhelmingly positive influence on respondents’ wellbeing.

In terms of development and industry in the landscape, respondents were more split. Almost half (49%) of respondents noted that commercial development has a positive influence on their wellbeing, while just over one-third (35%) of survey respondents noted that residential development has a positive influence and one-quarter noted that it has a negative influence. Respondents tended to indicate that manufacturing and extractive industry have neither a positive nor a negative influence on their wellbeing, though just under one-third (30%) noted that manufacturing industry has a positive influence while almost one-quarter (24%) noted that extractive industry has a negative influence and one-fifth noted that it has a positive influence.

Likert Graph. Title: The Role of Landscape Features in Nephi 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, 5% indicated neither, 95% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Trails - 2% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 12% indicated neither, 86% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Lakes - 1% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 15% indicated neither, 84% 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 - 3% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 22% indicated neither, 75% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Red Rock - 1% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 26% indicated neither, 73% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Commercial Development - 14% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 37% indicated neither, 49% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Residential Development - 25% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 40% indicated neither, 35% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Manufacturing Industry - 17% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 53% indicated neither, 30% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Extractive Industry - 24% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 56% indicated neither, 20% indicated positively or very positively.

Perspectives on Population Growth and Economic Development in Nephi

About half of survey respondents (53%) indicated that they felt the rate of population growth is too fast, while 35% said it was just right. On the other hand, just over half of respondents noted that they felt the pace of economic development is too slow, while 30% said it was just right. Compared to the other cities in the winter 2020 survey, Nephi responses were similar to those from other communities in this balance of perspectives.

Bar Chart. Title: Population Growth in Nephi. Subtitle: How would you describe the current rate of population growth in Nephi? Data - Too Slow: 6% of respondents; Just Right: 35% of respondents; Too Fast: 53% of respondents; No Opinion: 6% of respondents.

Bar Chart. Title: Economic Development in Nephi. Subtitle: How would you describe the current pace of economic development in Nephi? Data - Too Slow: 54% of respondents; Just Right - 30% of respondents; Too Fast - 9% of respondents; No Opinion - 8% 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 Nephi

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

Table 4
Top Rated Risks and Assets by Nephi Respondents

Highest Rated Assets
(indicated by at least 81% of respondents)		 Highest Rated Risks
(Indicated by at least 27% of respondents)
Air Quality Substance Abuse
Public Safety Employment Opportunities
Access to Public Land Electronic Devices
Access to Healthcare 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 Nephi had.

Table 5
Other Assets and Risks Mentioned by Nephi Respondents

Other Assets Other Risks
City recreation, rec center (2) Affordable shopping Pesticide use (5) Growth, too big, city govt projections and projects for growth (4)
Canyon Community events other than church Need rec center, other daytime activiteis for kids and parents, senior activities needed, need new pool (3)

Educational opportunities, "Awful school district and teaching staff (focus on football not learning)" (2)
Indoor pool Literacy of population Roaming dogs (2) Affordable housing
Planned growth Senior center "Clicks" Current police force
Snow removal   Hospital administration Housing construction
    Low neighborhood attachment Need programs for substance abuse (jail isn't the answer)

Nephi City Events

Nephi City asked a question about whether city events should be run by volunteers or paid city staff. Respondents were split nearly evenly on this issue.   

  • 55% said city events should be run by volunteers 
  • 45% said city events should be run by paid city staff 

Housing Findings in Nephi

What type of housing do you think you can afford given the current housing market in Nephi?  

  • 70% said single family house 
  • 9% said mobile home 
  • 9% said apartment 
  • 6% said townhome 
  • 7% said other (write in comments included nothing, duplex, tent, parents’ basement) 

Summary of Open Comments about Housing Situation in Nephi  

  • 114 respondents commented (41%). 

The most dominant theme in the comments was the high cost of housing. Other themes common in the finding are in the chart below.  

Grouped Bar Chart. Title: Number of Mentions for Key Themes. Key Themes: High cost of housing – 66 respondents mentioned this as a key theme; Growing too fast, stop building – 24 respondents mentioned this as a key theme; Not enough rental, low income, or townhouse options – 11 respondents mentioned this as a key theme; Not enough water to sustain growth – 9 respondents mentioned this as a key theme; Building lots should be bigger – 9 respondents mentioned this as a key theme; Need more commercial development for growth – 6 respondents mentioned this as a key theme; Want to keep small town feel – 6 respondents mentioned this as a key theme; Hard to find lots and builders – 4 respondents mentioned this as a key theme; Deteriorating and empty housing – 4 respondents mentioned this as a key theme; Nephi is affordable for housing – 2 respondents mentioned this as a key theme.

Summary of Open Comments

Respondents were given the opportunity to provide comments at the end of the survey. Comments were made by 80 respondents (29% of those that completed the survey). Many Nephi residents expressed a desire to have more recreation facilities and cultural opportunities, especially for youth, families, and seniors. Another topic that was mentioned frequently was growth and development, which has a variety of opinions on it. Some people expressed concerned that Nephi is growing faster than the resources available and losing its small-town feel. Others welcome growth and want to see more economic activity and employment in town. Other issues brought up by were healthcare, pesticides, education, social climate, and city image. Overall, many people like living in Nephi and want to see it thrive. 

Dominant themes in comments included the following:

  • Wanting more recreation and cultural opportunities
  • Growth needs to be managed
  • People overall are happy
  • Concern about pesticides

A Few Quotes:

  • "Nephi is a great place to live. If we had a Rec center or something that could be used all year round, not just in the summer, it would really benefit our community."
  • "We really need something for the youth. We need a rec center that is affordable for families. Something to do in the winter."
  • "The air quaity in Nephi and the surrounding area is poor. Nephi sprays for mosquitoes and they spray way too much and way too often."
  • "I love my community. The only thing that concerns me is the rising housing cost, increasing growth, and the lack of water resources for this growth."
  • "Nephi is everything we hoped it would be. It is friendly, clean, clean air, close access to whatever we need, and a great sense of community."

    Pie Chart. Title: Tone of Comment. Data: 11 positive comments, 56 negative comments, 13 mixed comments.

    Bar chart. Title: Frequently Mentioned Topics. Topic: Lacking Recreation – mentioned 20 times; Natural Resources and Environment – mentioned 17 times; Overall Happy – mentioned 12 times; Lacking Cultural Opportunities – mentioned 10 times; Positive Social Climate – mentioned 9 times; Lacking Economic Amenities – mentioned 8 times.

 

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