SALT LAKE CITY — A joint project by Sutherland Institute and the American Conservative Union Foundation found Utah ranks first in the nation according to the Family Prosperity Index, or FPI. The FPI measures more than 50 of the economic and social factors that indicate family prosperity, including but not limited to marriage and divorce rates, crime rates, STD rates and household income. A state that scores well on the FPI is one that is moving toward the goal of creating family prosperity.
This new study found Utah dominates the 2016 Family Prosperity Index, not only ranking at the top but also holding commanding leads over the second-ranked state and the national average. In fact, Utah’s FPI score has increased by 3.6 percent over the last five indexes – from 7.12 in 2012 to 7.38 in 2016. The FPI national average is normalized at 5.0.
For a short video describing the Family Prosperity Index, click here. Two documents are attached to this email: first, a list of the criteria or indexes measured and their corresponding sub-indexes; second, a document which outlines the findings in detail. The following graphs rank the top and bottom 10 states according to the FPI.
From Sutherland Institute President Boyd Matheson:
“Of all the awards and accolades Utah has received, this may very well be the most significant. While Utah has long recognized family as a critical social engine, this report illustrates the power of the family as an economic engine. Lawmakers would be wise to recognize that just as a strong economy helps families, strong families strengthen economies."
From Sutherland Institute Director of Public Policy Derek Monson:
“Rather than measuring and ranking a stand-alone niche of Utah’s economy that many never see or experience, the Family Prosperity Index measures whether Utah’s economic prosperity is reaching Utah’s families, and how Utah’s families are driving Utah’s economic prosperity. Clearly, Utah has room to improve in its most populous county when it comes to the related issues of drug use and suicide – and these are critically important things that demand our attention. But Utahns can be proud in our understanding that we lead the nation economically because we lead the nation in how we create, build and devote ourselves to our families, and by extension our communities."
From American Conservative Union Foundation Chairman Matt Schlapp:
"The Family Prosperity Index provides a blueprint for creating an environment for families to flourish, and Utah, with its No. 1 rank on the 2016 FPI, has set the standard for the rest of the country. I hope leaders across the county will come to understand the factors driving Utah’s success and use the FPI as a tool to expand prosperity in their own states."
Notes:
• Six indexes (and their corresponding sub-indexes) make up the FPI: Economics, Demographics, Family Self-Sufficiency, Family Structure, Family Culture, and Family Health. All sub-indexes can be viewed in the attachment.
• Utah takes the lead in every index aside from Economics, where North Dakota comes in first. This data was impacted by North Dakota’s fracking boom, which has since slowed.
• An area of concern for Utah includes the drop in the Family Health index caused by the self-mortality sub-index, which consists of suicide and drug overdoses as a percent of population. Utah has higher-than-average rates.
• Additionally, a county-level FPI analysis raises alarms for Salt Lake County. Negative trends are noted when it comes to children in poverty, violent crime rate, property crime rate, the level of married taxpayers, and unwed child birth.
For more information or interview requests (interviewees include SI staff, ACUF staff, and/or authors of the study):
Kelsey Köenen Witt | Media Relations
c: 801.497.1562 (texting is fine) o: 801.355.1272 ext. 115
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Space Exploration is Shaping Your World at Clark Planetarium
New space engineering dome show, To Space and Back Opens January 13th
Salt Lake City, UT – Space exploration, and the science behind it, shape our everyday lives, and Clark Planetarium invites the public to see these marvels up close and personal in the newest addition to the Hansen Dome Theatre, To Space and Back.
Co-written and produced by Philadelphia’s The Franklin Institute’s Chief Astronomer and Planetarium Director Derrick Pitts, To Space and Back explores how our everyday lives are directly affected by the technologies developed for use in space exploration. Innovations such as alternative water purification systems and energy sources, turbine blades, home insulation, improvements in car safety and better fuel efficiency are all a result of space research and exploration, and all have directly impacted modern life on Earth.
To Space and Back opens to the public in the Hansen Dome Theatre on Friday, January 13th, 2017. Tickets are on sale now at http://www.clarkplanetarium.org.
The film is not the only way the public can explore the modern marvels developed as a result of space exploration and space science engineering. Clark Planetarium’s original, live presentation series, Night Vision, tackles topics ranging from “what’s up on Pluto” to space telescopes, robotic explorers, and even space science technology spin-offs. More information about upcoming presentations of Night Vision can be found on the Clark Planetarium web site.
About Clark Planetarium
Clark Planetarium’s mission is to create and present stimulating educational programs that effectively share astronomy and space exploration information with Salt Lake County residents, Utah students, educators and families, and visitors from around the country and the world. For more information visit www.clarkplanetarium.org or follow Clark Planetarium on Twitter or Facebook.
