By Dr. Courtney Flint | May 20, 2020

 

Santaquin Wellbeing Survey Findings

May 2020

Dr. Courtney Flint
Utah State University Extension

extension logo
utah wellbeing survey logo

Summary

Santaquin 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. Santaquin City advertised the survey via social media, newsletter, and website. All city residents age 18 and over were encouraged to take the online Qualtrics survey, available from February 27, 2020 to March 20, 2020.

A total of 180 completed surveys were recorded during this effort. This report contains descriptive information based on Santaquin 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 Santaquin survey respondents (98%) were full-time residents. The length of residency ranged from 0.5 to 61 years with an average of 12 years. More than half of respondents (55%) lived in Santaquin 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, and those with children in the household are overrepresented in the resulting survey sample. The survey underrepresents those with incomes under $50,000 and nonwhites and Latinos. 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 Santaquin residents.

Table 1

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

Demographic Characteristics Santaquin
Online Survey 2020
(180 Respondents)
American Community Survey
2016-2020 Estimates
Age 18-39 53.1% 54.4%
Age 40-59 33.1% 31.0%
Age 60 or Over 13.8% 14.6%
Female 67.9% 47.7%
Male 32.1% 52.3%
No college degree 66.9% 80.4%
College degree (4-year) 33.1% 19.5% (age 25+)
Median household income NA $76,071
Income Under $50,000 10.9% 26.3%
Income $50,000 to $74,999 27.6% 21.3%
Income $75,000 to $99,999 31.4% 21.8%
Income $100,000 to $149,999 23.7% 25.0%
Income $150,000 or over 6.4% 5.6%
Religion: Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints
71.2% NA
Other religion 9.6% NA
No religious preference 19.2% NA
White (non-Latino) 93.7% 86.6%
Nonwhite or Latino 6.3% 16.4%
Children under 18 in household 70.4% 61.6%
Employed (combined) 69.4% 69.5% (in labor force age 16+)
Out of work and looking for work 1.3% 2.8% (unemployed)
Other 29.3% 27.7% (not in labor force)

Overall Personal Wellbeing and Overall Wellbeing in Santaquin

Survey participants were asked about their overall personal wellbeing and overall community wellbeing in Santaquin. These wellbeing indicators are both measured on a 5-point scale from very poor (1) to excellent (5). The average personal wellbeing score among Santaquin respondents was 4.11, with 82% of respondents indicating their wellbeing at a 4 or 5 on the 5-point scale. The average score for community wellbeing in Santaquin was 3.71.

Bar chart. Title: Personal Wellbeing in Sanataquin. Subtitle: How would you rate your overall personal wellbeing? Data - 1 Very Poor: 0% of respondents; 2: 2% of respondents; 3: 16% of respondents; 4: 51% of respondents; 5 Excellent: 31% of respondents.

Bar Chart. Title: Community Wellbeing in Santaquin. Subtitle: How would you rate overall wellbeing in Santaquin? Data - 1 Very Poor: 1% of respondents; 2: 9% of respondents; 3: 27% of respondents; 4: 45% of respondents; 5 Excellent: 18% of respondents.

The average personal wellbeing score in Santaquin falls above the average of all cities surveyed in early 2020. The Utah League of Cities and Towns classifies Santaquin in the “Rapid Growth Cities” group, along with eight other cities in this study as indicated in the graph below. Although there are a handful of cities within this group with average personal wellbeing scores above and below that of Santaquin, there is no statistically significant difference in the scores 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 Santaquin

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 living standards, safety and security, and mental health. The three most important wellbeing domains were safety and security, living standards, and mental health. Local environmental quality and physical health were also very important.

Likert Graph. Title: Wellbeing Domain Ratings in Santaquin. Subtitle: How would you rate your level of personal wellbeing in each of the following categories? Category: Living Standards - 24% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 76% rated as good or excellent; Category: Safety and Security - 24% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 76% rated as good or excellent; Category: Mental Health - 26% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 74% rated as good or excellent; Category: Connection with Nature - 34% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 66% rated as good or excellent; Category: Local Environmental Quality - 36% of respondents rated as poor, fair or moderate while 64% rated as good or excellent; Category: Physical Health - 38% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 62% rated as good or excellent; Category: Leisure Time - 45% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 55% rated as good or excellent; Category: Social Connections - 47% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 53% rated as good or excellent; Category: Education - 48% of respondents rated as poor, fair, or moderate while 52% rated as good or excellent; Category: Cultural Opportunities - 79% of respondents rated as poor, fair or moderate while 21% rated as good or excellent.


Likert Graph. Title: Wellbeing Domain Importance in Santaquin. 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: Living Standards - 8% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 92% of respondents 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: Local Environmental Quality - 10% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 90% rated as important or very important; Category: Physical Health - 11% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 89% rated as important or very important; Category: Leisure Time - 23% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 77% rated as important or very important; Category: Education - 23% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 77% rated as important or very important; Category: Connection with Nature - 25% of respondents rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 75% 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 - 56% rated as not at all important, slightly important, or moderately important while 44% rated as important or very important.

The demographic variables for age, gender, education, religion, and income were significantly related to various wellbeing perspectives among Santaquin 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            insufficient data
Wellbeing in Santaquin       +
vs no religious preference and other religion
  - 
 insufficient data
Connection to Nature           insufficient data
Cultural Opportunities        +
vs other religion
  insufficient data
Education           insufficient data
Leisure Time        +
vs other religion
  insufficient data
Living Standards            insufficient data 
Local Environmental Quality       +
vs other religion
  insufficient data
Mental Health        +
vs other religion
   insufficient data 
Physical Health           + $150,000+ >
$50,000-$74,999
insufficient data
Safety & Security        +
vs other religion
  insufficient data
Social Connections       +
vs other religion
   insufficient data
  Age 60+ Female College Degree Latter-day Saint Higher Income Nonwhite or Latino
  Domain Importance 
Connection to Nature         insufficient data 
Cultural Opportunities   +
vs 40-59
         insufficient data
Education   +  +     insufficient data 
Leisure Time            insufficient data 
Living Standards           insufficient data 
Local Environmental Quality  +
vs 18-39 & 40-59
        - $150,000+ >
$50,000-$74,999
 
 insufficient data
Mental Health     +    -
vs no religious preference
   insufficient data
Physical Health           insufficient data 
Safety and Security           insufficient data 
Social Connections            insufficient data

Wellbeing Matrix for Santaquin

The graph below illustrates the relationship between the average rating and the average importance of wellbeing domains for survey respondents from Santaquin. There is a clear positive relationship between wellbeing domain importance and wellbeing domain ratings: domains that are rated as more important also tend to be rated higher. None of the domains fall into the red quadrant, which identifies domains where the average importance rating is above the overall average importance across all domains and the average rating is below the overall average rating across all domains. 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: Cedar City 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, Local Environmental Quality, Mental Health, and Physical Health. High rating, lower Importance (blue quadrant) domains include: Connection with Nature. Lower rating, lower importance (yellow quadrant) domains include: Social Connections, Leisure Time, Education, and Cultural Opportunities. Lower rating, high importance (red quadrant) domains include: None.

Community Action & Connections in Santaquin

Survey participants were asked about community actions and connectedness to community in Santaquin. 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 Santaquin, the average score was 3.56. When asked about the degree they feel connected to their community, the average score was 3.03.     

Bar chart. Title: Community Action in Santaquin. Subtitle: In Santaquin, to what degree do people take action together in response to local problems or opportunities? Data - 1 Not at All: 2% of respondents; 2: 10% of respondents; 3: 37% of respondents; 4: 33% of respondents; 5 A Great Deal: 19% of respondents.

Bar chart. Title: Community Connection in Santaquin. Subtitle: In Santaquin, to what degree do you feel connected to your community? Data - 1 Not at All: 13% of respondents; 2: 17% of respondents; 3: 32% of respondents; 4: 30% of respondents; 5 A Great Deal: 8% of respondents.

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

                Likert Graph. Title: Comparing Overall Wellbeing and Community Connection in Santaquin. Of the 4 respondents that rate their overall personal wellbeing as a 1 or 2, 75% indicate a community connection score of 1, 2, or 3 while 25% indicate a community connection score of 4 or 5. Of the 25 respondents that rate their overall personal wellbeing as a 3, 84% indicate a community connection score of 1, 2, or 3 while 16% indicate a community connection score of 4 or 5. Of the 87 respondents that rate their overall personal wellbeing as a 4, 62% indicate a community connection score of 1, 2, or 3 while 38% indicate a community connection score of 4 or 5. Of the 50 participants that rate their overall wellbeing as a 5, 50% indicate a community connection score of 1, 2, or 3 while 50% 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, trails, rivers and streams, trails, lakes, farmland, and city parks were found to have an overwhelmingly positive influence on respondents’ wellbeing. Over half (56%) of respondents also noted red rock as having a positive influence.

In terms of development and industry in the landscape, the majority of respondents noted that the presence of commercial development (52%) in the landscape has a positive influence on their wellbeing. However, respondents had more negative perceptions of extractive industry, with almost half (48%) identifying its presence as having a negative influence on their wellbeing; residential development, with 43% identifying it as having a negative influence; and manufacturing industry, with over one-third (34%) identifying it as having a negative influence.

Likert Graph. Title: The Role of Landscape Features in Santaquin 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, 1% indicated neither, 99% 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 - 1% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 9% indicated neither, 90% 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: Farmland - 0% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 14% indicated neither, 86% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: City Parks - 1% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 19% indicated neither, 81% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Red Rock - 1% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 43% indicated neither, 56% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Commercial Development – 17% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 31% indicated neither, 52% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Residential Development - 43% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 38% indicated neither, 19% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Manufacturing Industry - 34% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 53% indicated neither, 13% indicated positively or very positively; Feature: Extractive Industry - 48% of respondents indicated very negatively or negatively, 44% indicated neither, 8% indicated positively or very positively.

Perspectives on Population Growth and Economic Development in Santaquin

Over two-thirds of survey respondents (72%) indicated that they felt the rate of population growth is too fast, while 22% said it was just right. Just over half of respondents noted that they felt the pace of economic development is too slow (58%), while 25% said it was just right. Compared to the other cities in the winter 2020 survey, Santaquin responses were similar to those from other communities in this balance of perspectives.

ar Chart. Title: Population Growth in Santaquin. Subtitle: How would you describe the current rate of population growth in Santaquin? Data - Too Slow: 1% of respondents; Just Right: 22% of respondents; Too Fast: 72% of respondents; No Opinion: 6% of respondents.Bar Chart. Title: Economic Development in Santaquin. Subtitle: How would you describe the current pace of economic development in Santaquin? Data - Too Slow: 58% of respondents; Just Right - 25% of respondents; Too Fast - 12% of respondents; No Opinion - 6% 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 Santaquin

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

Table 4
Top Rated Risks and Assets by Santaquin Respondents

Highest Rated Assets
(indicated by at least 80% of respondents)
Highest Rated Risks
(Indicated by at least 21% of respondents)
Public Safety Substance Abuse
Air Quality Electronic Devices
Water Supply Affordable Housing
Access to Public Land 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 Santaquin had.

Table 5
Other Assets and Risks Mentioned by Santaquin Respondents

Other Assets Other Risks
Access to a dog park Non-LDS communities Too much high density/multifamily housing changing makeup and political climate of community, leading to overpopulation (6) City manager, city government support, city council pushing wrong development, too much government power (4)
Sidewalks on all streets Stay local for all things City facilities HOA
Trails   Lack of commercial development Religious affiliation
    Speeding vehicles Traffic
    Trails to all neighborhoods Walking safely

Summary of Open Comments

Respondents were given the opportunity to provide comments at the end of the survey. Comments were made by 66 respondents (37% of the 180 completing the survey). The most frequently mentioned topics were related to slowing the growth and development of Santaquin, like wanting less high-density housing and a desire to preserve the small-town feel. However, many people want to see more commercial growth to match the residential growth. Some people also expressed frustration at city leadership’s decisions and felt that they were not being heard by their elected officials. Another topic mentioned several times was a desire for more recreation facilities and walking paths. However, many people love the friendly community and feel at home in Santaquin.

Dominant themes in comments included the following:

  • Growth and development too fast
  • Too much high-density housing
  • Preserve small-town feel
  • Not feeling heard by city leaders
  • More recreation opportunities

A Few Quotes:

  • “I believe that there is not enough emphasis on the growth of commercial building and too much multi-family housing coming to our little town.”
  • “The growth of residential and business is too fast and not well planned. The people who moved here for a quiet, country life are being negatively impacted. The mayor, city manager, and city council are not looking at how their decisions affect the residents who currently live in this town.”
  • “We need more retail and restaurant development.  Less mass housing, it's eating up all the open land. Develop the city center instead of adding sprawl.”
  • “This City doesn't listen to what people want, they are more concerned with the highest possible profit, which is destroying the heart of the city.”
  • “It is a great community. The winter has been hard where there isn’t much to do indoors here.”
Pie Chart. Title: Tone of Comment. Data: 8 positive comments, 53 negative comments, 5 mixed comments.
Bar chart. Title: Major Themes. Theme: Housing Density – mentioned 27 times; Growth and Development – mentioned 21 times; Local Leadership – mentioned 14 times; Small-Town Feel – mentioned 8 times; Lacking Recreation – mentioned 7 times.