Housing Has Become Utah’s #1 Concern, Voters Ready for Bold Solutions
PHOENIX (March 28, 2025)-Noble Predictive Insights’ (NPI) latest Utah Public Opinion Pulse (UTPOP) demonstrates a striking shift in public concerns, with housing overtaking inflation, immigration, and other major issues as the primary worry among Utah voters.
This UTPOP, conducted from March 11–13, 2025, surveyed 609 registered voters in Utah, yielding a margin of error of ± 3.9%.
Utah’s Housing Market Hits a Breaking Point
While national headlines focus on stock market fluctuations, inflation, and immigration debates, Utah voters are preoccupied with a more immediate concern: putting a roof over their own heads. According to our latest poll, the big social issues – abortion and immigration – are nowhere near as important to Utah voters as affordable housing. A majority of Utah voters (53%) ranked affordable housing as one of their top 3 issues facing the state, including 21% who identified it as their number one concern.
Affordable housing was added to the list of issues voters could choose from on the UTPOP tracking polls less than a year ago, and instantly shot to the top in each UTPOP since. Inflation is often in second place, meaning that cost is the big picture issue and housing is a key driver.
Concern about affordable housing was particularly high for:
Some college education: 28%
Salt Lake County: 27%
Independents: 27%
Urban density: 27%
HHI $50-100k: 26%
“Cost is the key economic concern right now. Not unemployment. Not taxes. Cost. And voters are telling us that housing prices are driving the cost crisis,” said David Byler, NPI Chief of Research.
The March UTPOP found that 89% of Utah voters agree that there is a housing cost problem. While a majority of voters plan to keep living in Utah, a significant 33% say they've considered moving out of state due to housing costs. Younger Utah voters and newer arrivals were especially likely to consider leaving.
“The storm cloud in these numbers is that young voters and newer transplants – who drive economic progress and keep the state lively – say they’re most likely to move. The silver lining is that they don’t want to move – and that people will stay if the state can get housing prices under control,” said David Byler.
Other key groups likely to consider leaving the state:
Hispanic/Latinos: 46%
Parents of children under 18: 45%
High school or less: 44%
HHI $50-100k: 42%
What Would Utahns Do for Cheaper Housing?
When asked about potential solutions, Utah voters demonstrated remarkable flexibility. A substantial 43% of voters indicated they would consider relocating to less expensive areas even if it increased their commute to work, school, or other important locations by up to 30 minutes.
Groups most willing to move for lower costs:
Ages 18-44: 57%
Utah tenure 5-10 years: 58%
Parents with kids under 18: 58%
Translation: Young, mobile families are the key demographic for relocation to less expensive neighborhoods farther away from common metropolitan areas.
Another potential solution with strong support: building new apartment complexes. Specifically, respondents were asked, “Would you support or oppose building a new apartment complex within three miles of where you live if it would lower overall housing costs?” A near-majority of Utah voters (49%) supported the idea.
Key groups driving support:
Utah tenure 10 years or less: 61%
Urban density: 60%
Ages 18-44: 57%
Key groups driving opposition:
Ages 65+: 40%
College and post-grads: 38%
Rural density: 38%
“The same groups that have most considered moving out of the state due to housing costs (younger voters, newer transplants, families) are also the most willing to relocate within the state and/or support new apartment construction for more affordable housing. The public is telling us, through polling, what the problems are AND what the solutions are. Now lawmakers and builders just need to decide whether they’ll listen,” said Byler.
The UTPOP Dashboard is now updated with the data from this release!
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Methodology: This poll was conducted as an online opt-in panel and text-to-online survey. The survey was conducted by Noble Predictive Insights from March 11–13, 2025 from a Utah statewide registered voter sample via online opt-in panel and text-to-online. The sample included 609 registered voters, yielding a ± 3.9% margin of error. The sample demographics were weighted to accurately reflect the registered voter population by gender, region, age, party affiliation, race/ethnicity, and education according to recent voter file data, the Office of the Utah Lieutenant Governor, and recent Census data. *Numbers may not equal 100% due to rounding. Poll report can be found here
Media Contact:
Veronica Sutliff, Noble Predictive Insights, v.sutliff@npredictive.com
About Noble Predictive Insights: As a nonpartisan public opinion polling, market research, and data analytics firm, Noble Predictive Insights revolutionizes decision-making for leaders by delivering data-based solutions and predictive insights that pave the way to success. We bridge the gap between research and strategy with customized strategic research, a hyper-focus on impact, and being true partners with our clients. Noble Predictive Insights (formerly OH Predictive Insights) is a 2023 Inc. 5000 fastest-growing company in the Southwest region, and is ranked in the top 15 most accurate pollsters as well as in the top 5 for lowest average bias in the 2021-22 election cycle by FiveThirtyEight. For more information, please call (602) 641-6565 or visit our website at www.noblepredictiveinsights.com.