Vernal Wellbeing Survey Findings
May 2021
Summary
Vernal City is one of 30 cities currently participating in the Utah Wellbeing Survey Project in 2021. 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. It is important to note that the 2021 survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was intentional as the last round of wellbeing surveys were conducted in 2020 prior to the pandemic. This allows us to assess changes at this unique period of time. Future surveys are anticipated to gauge recovery.
What is in this report?
This report describes findings from the 2021 Vernal survey as well as some comparative information with other project cities. Feedback from city leaders and planners is welcome. We will continue with analysis and reporting.
How was the survey conducted?
From January through early March 2021, Vernal City advertised the survey social media and local radio. All city residents age 18+ were encouraged to take the online Qualtrics survey.
How many people responded?
- 98 viable surveys were recorded in this 2021 this effort with 86% complete responses.
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The adult population of Vernal was estimated at 7,377 based on the 2015-2019 American Community Survey. The survey responses represent 1.3% of the adult population and have a conservative margin of error of 9.83%.
Key Findings in Vernal
Overall Personal Wellbeing and Community Wellbeing in Vernal were below average among 29 study cities.
Highest Rated Wellbeing Domains:
- Connection with Nature
- Safety and Security
Most Important Wellbeing Domains:
- Mental Health
- Safety and Security
- Living Standards
- Physical Health
Red Zone Domain: (High Importance, Lower Quality)
- Mental Health
- Physical Health
COVID-19 had greatest impact on Social Connections, Cultural Opportunities, and Mental Health. Overall personal wellbeing declined in the last year for 54% of respondents. Community wellbeing declined in the last year for 67% of respondents. Cultural opportunities and social connections were more likely to decline for Latter-day Saints. Social connections were also more likely to decline for female respondents.
Population Growth was seen by nearly half of respondents as just right, but the Pace of Economic Development in Vernal was seen as too slow according to nearly two-thirds of respondents respondents.
Top concerns for the future of Vernal were:
- Opportunities for Youth (88% Moderate or Major Concern)
- Employment Opportunities (82% Moderate or Major Concern)
- Social and Emotional Support (74% Moderate or Major Concern)
- Substance Abuse (73% Moderate or Major Concern)
- Recreation Opportunities (72% Moderate or Major Concern)
- Affordable Housing (69% Moderate or Major Concern)
- Access to Public Land (67% Moderate or Major Concern)
What do people value most about Vernal?
Small-town feel, access to nature, abundant recreation, and feeling safe
Survey Respondent Characteristics
Full Time Residents of Vernal | 96.9% |
Part Time Residents of Vernal | 3.1% |
Length of Residency - Range | 1-81 years |
Length of Residency - Average | 22 years |
Length of Residency - Median | 20 years |
Length of Residence 5 Years or Less | 16.3% |
Demographic characteristics of the survey respondents are compared below with U.S. Census information from the 2015-2019 American Community Survey. As the table shows, survey respondents were not fully representative of Vernal. People who are female, have at least a 4- year college degree, and have children in their home were particularly overrepresented. People age 18-29, those with household incomes under $25,000, and those who rent their home or are married were particularly underrepresented. Not all respondents provided demographic information. Weighting was not used in any of the analysis for the findings presented below. Updates will be provided later in 2021 to account for weighting by demographic characteristics.
Table 1
Demographic Characteristics of Survey Respondents and U.S. Census Data for Vernal
Demographic Characteristics | Vernal Online Wellbeing Survey 2021 (N=98) |
American Community Survey 2016-2020 Estimates |
---|---|---|
Age 18-29 | 21.4% | 26.9% |
Age 30-39 | 27.4% | 20.9% |
Age 40-49 | 26.2% | 18.9% |
Age 50-59 | 10.7% | 14.2% |
Age 60-69 | 8.3% | 8.9% |
Age 70 or over | 6.0% | 10.2% |
Adult female | 67.9% | 46.7% |
Adult male | 32.1% | 53.3% |
No college degree | 63.1% | 83.6% |
College degree (4-year) | 36.9% | 16.4% |
Median household income | NA | $47,926 |
Income under $25,000 | 13.2% | 26.6% |
Income $25,000-$49,999 | 27.7% | 26.4% |
Income $50,000 to $74,999 | 21.7% | 16.8% |
Income $75,000 to $99,999 | 22.9% | 10.0% |
Income $100,000 to $149,999 | 7.2% | 16.2% |
Income $150,000 or over | 7.2% | 4.0% |
Latter-day Saint | 46.3% | NA |
Other religion | 26.8% | NA |
No religious preference | 26.8% | NA |
Hispanic/Latino | 4.9% | 10.0% |
White | 91.3% | 91.2% |
Nonwhite | 72.3% | 8.8% |
Married | 27.7% | 44.0% |
Children under 18 in household | 57.1% | 38.8% |
Employed (combined) | 64.3% | 59.6% |
Out of work and looking for work | 6.0% | 4.6% |
Other | 29.7% | 35.8% |
Own home/owner occupied | 72.6% | 54.9% |
Rent home/renter occupied/other | 27.4% | 45.1% |
Overall Personal Wellbeing and Overall Wellbeing in Vernal
Survey participants were asked about their overall personal wellbeing and overall community wellbeing in Vernal. These wellbeing indicators both measured on a 5-point scale from very poor (1) to excellent (5). The average personal wellbeing score in Vernal was 3.66, with 54% of respondents indicating their wellbeing at a 4 or 5 on the 5-point scale. The average score for community wellbeing in Vernal was 3.27 with 46% of respondents indicating city wellbeing at a 4 or 5 on the 5-point scale.
The COVID-19 pandemic dominated much of 2020. Survey respondents were asked if their overall personal wellbeing or wellbeing had changed in the last year. Survey findings show that 54% of respondents indicated that their personal wellbeing declined in that time and 67% of respondents indicated that wellbeing in Vernal declined as well.
Comparing Wellbeing Across Utah Cities
The Utah League of Cities and Towns classifies Vernal as a Rural Hub/Resort city (which we have combined with Traditional Rural Communities). Within this cluster of cities, Vernal had the lowest score in terms of the average overall personal wellbeing score and was below average on the average community wellbeing score. Vernal was statistically significantly lower than Wellington, Helper, and Richfield in terms of overall personal wellbeing and lower than Helper and Richfield in terms of overall community wellbeing.
Wellbeing Domains in Vernal
According to national and international entities that track wellbeing, there are a number of common dimensions or domains of wellbeing. In this survey, respondents rated ten domains on a 5-point scale from poor to excellent, suggesting how their wellbeing was doing well in each area. They were also asked to indicate the importance of each domain to their overall personal wellbeing on a 5-point scale from not at all important to very important. The top three highest rated wellbeing domains for respondents in Vernal were Connection to Nature, Safety and Security, and Living Standards. The four most important wellbeing domains were Mental Health, Safety and Security, Living Standards and Physical Health.
Wellbeing Matrix for Vernal
The graph below illustrates the relationship between the average rating and the average importance of wellbeing domains for survey respondents from Vernal. Connection to Nature, Safety and Security, and Living Standards were highly important and highly rated. Physical Health and Mental Health fell into the red quadrant or “Red Zone,” indicating that they were of higher-than-average importance, but rated lower than average. Leisure Time approaches this quadrant as its importance was close to the overall average domain importance, but rating fell near the overall average rating. Please note that all domains had an average rating above 3.0 (moderate) and the importance score for all domains was higher than 3.0 (moderately important).
How did the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact Wellbeing Domains?
The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact was most strongly felt regarding:
- Social Connections
- Cultural Opportunities
- Mental Health
No change was reported by most Vernal respondents for these areas:
- Safety and Security
- Local Environmental Quality
Improvements were reported in Connection to Nature (16%) and Leisure Time (13%).
The following relationships were found in Vernal between demographic variables and declines due to COVID-19 pandemic:
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Cultural opportunities were more likely to decline for Latter-day Saints.
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Social connections were more likely to decline for female respondents and Latter-day Saints.
How are Demographic Characteristics Related to Wellbeing?
The demographic variables age, gender, college degree, religion, income, and length of residence were found to have varying relationships with wellbeing perspectives among Vernal respondents as shown in the table below based on a multivariate generalized linear model with unweighted data (significance based on p < 0.1). The +/- sign indicates whether the demographic group was statistically significantly higher or lower than others in that category. Colors indicate strongest relationships (p < .05).
Relationship Between Demographic Characteristics and Wellbeing Domains in Vernal
Domains Rated | Demographic Variables | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age 60+ | Female | College Degree | Latter-day Saint | Higher Income | Resident 5 Years or Less | |
Wellbeing Ratings | ||||||
Overall Personal Wellbeing | ||||||
Wellbeing in Vernal | ||||||
Connection to Nature | ||||||
Cultural Opportunities | ||||||
Education | + | |||||
Leisure Time | + |
|||||
Living Standards | ||||||
Local Environmental Quality | ||||||
Mental Health | + |
|||||
Physical Health | + |
|||||
Safety & Security | + vs 40-59 |
– | + vs Other | + Over $100,000 > Under $50,000 |
||
Social Connections | ||||||
Age 60+ | Female | College Degree | Latter-day Saint | Higher Income | Resident 5 Years or Less | |
Domains | Domain Importance | |||||
Connection to Nature | + | |||||
Cultural Opportunities | + vs 40-59 |
+ | + | + | ||
Education | – vs 18-39 |
|||||
Leisure Time | ||||||
Living Standards | – vs 18-39 |
– vs Other | + Over $100,000 > $50,000-$74,999 |
|||
Local Environmental Quality | – vs A/A/NP | |||||
Mental Health | – |
+ | ||||
Physical Health | + | – vs A/A/NP | ||||
Safety & Security | + | – | ||||
Social Connections | + | + | – Over $150,000 < $50,000-$99,999 |
A/A/NRP = Agnostic/Atheist/No Religious Preference, Other= Other Religions
Community Action & Connections in Vernal
Survey participants were asked about community actions and community connection in Vernal. 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 Vernal, the average score was 3.54. When asked about the degree they feel connected to their community, the average score was 3.11.
No demographic variables were significantly related to perceived local action or community connection for Vernal respondents.
A significant, positive relationship was found between individuals’ community connection and overall personal wellbeing.
Comparing Community Action and Connection Across Cities
The graphs below show how Wellbeing Project cities compare on the degree to which people take action in response to local problems and opportunities and how connected people feel to their city as a community. Vernal is in the top 5 on perceived community action and in the top half on community connection based on the number of people indicating a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale.
Participation in Community Activities
Respondents were asked to indicate whether or not they participated in seven different activities and a community activeness score was calculated by adding activities. The average community activeness score for Vernal was 2.38. Church group activities were the most common activity for respondents (47%) followed by civic or charity group activities (44%).
Influence of Landscape on Wellbeing
Survey participants were asked about the influence of landscape features on their wellbeing. Natural landscape including mountains, trails, rivers and streams, and city parks were found to have an overwhelmingly positive influence on wellbeing. In terms of development and industry in the landscape, Vernal respondents were more divided.
Perspectives on Population Growth and Economic Development
Nearly half of Vernal survey respondents (48%) indicated they felt population growth was just right, followed by 29% who said it was too fast and 14% said it was too slow. On the pace of economic development, 64% indicated it was too slow, 27% just right, and 4% too fast.
The graphs below show how Vernal compares to other participating cities in the Wellbeing Project on these perceptions of population growth and economic development.
Concerns in Vernal
Survey respondents indicated the degree to which a number of possible local issues were a concern as they look to the future of Vernal. Opportunities for Youth, Employment Opportunities, Social and Emotional Support, Substance Abuse, and Recreation Opportunities were top concerns with around 72-88% of respondents indicating these were moderate or major concerns.
Other concerns were raised by 18 respondents who filled in the “other” category.
Other Concerns Mentioned |
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---|---|---|---|
Diversity for revenue generation, too much emphasis on oil/gas, jobs outside oilfield (2) |
Climate change (1) |
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Crime (1) | Democrats (1) | ||
Extreme right political ideology (1) |
Fire Services (1) |
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Government spending (1) |
Joe Biden (1) | ||
Lack of representation (1) |
Mental Health (1) | ||
Neighborhood parks (1) |
Oil and mining leases on federal land being “paused” (1) |
||
Physical health (1) |
Prices of health care (1) |
||
Public Safety (1) |
Religious discrimination (1) |
Summary of Open Comments
The survey provided opportunities for respondents to share their ideas about Vernal with one question on what they value most about their city and another for any additional comments on wellbeing. A summary of values is below. Analysis is ongoing regarding all additional comments and will be added to the report later in 2021.
Key Themes for “Please tell us what you value most about living in Vernal”
Contact Information
Dr. Courtney Flint
courtney.flint@usu.edu
435-797-8635
On This Page
The Utah League of Cities and Towns is a collaborator on this project and the following people have contributed to this effort in many ways: Casey Trout, Rachel Sagers, Madison Fjeldsted, Jordan Hammon, and Sarah Wilson.
Utah State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution and is committed to a learning and working environment free from discrimination, including harassment. For USU’s non-discrimination notice, see equity.usu.edu/non-discrimination.