South Salt Lake City residents are most concerned about the high cost of housing, according to a recent survey conducted by the city in March. Y2 Analytics conducted the survey; five years ago they also

surveyed residents.

Residents are less likely today than they were five years ago to say that the city provides a range of housing options that makes it possible for various resident groups to stay in the city, Kyrene Gibb a consultant from Y2 Analytics told the city council April 23.

“I don’t think is a surprise to anyone here,” Gibb said. “The share of residents who believe that they will be able to afford to stay in their current residence for the next year has decreased by 20 percentage points compared to the year 2020. So residents are really feeling the increase in cost of living and some housing insecurity concerns. We also have fewer than half of residents now saying that the city has a range of housing options that provide for seniors, working families and young people to stay in the city.”

Other priorities highlighted in the survey include family support services, public safety, neighborhood infrastructure, which the community defined as taking care of the city’s neighborhoods, and water infrastructure.

Programs such as those provided by Promise South Salt Lake are popular among residents. Promise South Salt Lake is a network of 14 programs at 12 locations throughout the city that offer services for youth, families and the community at no cost. They include youth programs based in local schools and community centers offering such resources as homework help or tutoring and enrichment activities. 

“Once we look at that share of residents who are aware of those programs in particular we see a lot of positive attitudes about the value they bring to the community,” Gibb said.

Residents are particularly supportive of the youth program; 87% of them consider it extremely or very important. Food security programs such as the community resource pantry are seen as extremely or very important by about 82% of residents. About half of residents say that the city has the recreation opportunities and amenities they’re looking for. Twenty-nine percent of residents say that family support services are a very important priority to their household. 

Most residents feel safe in South Salt Lake. City parks and neighborhood streets are largely perceived as safe by more than three out of four residents. About three out of four residents also say that they feel safe driving on major thoroughfares through the city. More than 90% say that they feel safe walking in their neighborhoods during the day or visiting public buildings, Gibb said. “When we look at the areas where there is some cause for concern or where residents are a little bit more hesitant it really just comes down to walking in the city at night.”

About 74% of residents say that they feel their neighborhood has access to usable transit. Residents generally believe that they have a good amount of access to parks and recreation in their neighborhoods and that their neighborhoods are connected to the rest of the city. 

“That is a really positive perception to see that two-thirds of residents feel that their neighborhood is connected,” Gibb said.

About 78% of respondents say that the services they receive for the taxes and fees that they pay to the city are average or better. Residents are slightly less likely than they were five years ago to say that the city has a good mix of the businesses and services they need.

Overall, about 75% of residents thought SSL was “headed in the right direction,”
Gibb said. 

More broadly, about 55% of residents say that they are optimistic about their overall well-being, Also among those surveyed “average quality of life rating is about a 69 on a 0 to 100 scale,” Gibb said. Overall economic well-being was identified as extremely or very important by about 71% of residents.

“We have a large share of respondents who feel optimistic about their personal well-being and optimistic about the well-being of the community as a whole,” Gibb said.

Invitations to participate in the online survey which was done from Feb. 27 to March 19 were randomly sent by postcard or text message. It was conducted in both English and Spanish. Of the 425 surveys received responses were roughly split evenly between men and women. Just over 40% of survey respondents were homeowners; 59% rent their home. λ