Utah Electorate Divided on Key Issues
PHOENIX (March 21, 2025)- Utah just finished a lightning-round legislative session, making national news along the way, but the question remains: how attentively were voters following these developments, and what are their opinions on key issues? Noble Predictive Insights’ (NPI) latest Utah Public Opinion Pulse (UTPOP) shed light on Utahns’ awareness and opinions on key legislative issues, including fluoride regulation, SNAP benefits, and redistricting.
This UTPOP, conducted from March 11–13, 2025, surveyed 609 registered voters in Utah, yielding a margin of error of ± 3.9%.
Legislative Awareness: Are Utahns Paying Attention?
As a baseline, Utah voters are split in their opinions of the state legislature in general (41% favorable, 42% unfavorable), and a slim majority are optimistic about the trajectory of Utah (56% “right track,” 44% “wrong direction”). Voters had moderate awareness of the happenings at the state legislature, with a 57% majority reporting they heard “a little” news about the legislature recently. Only 1 in 5 said they heard “a lot.”
Democrats and more affluent groups had the highest awareness (heard “a lot”):
· Post-grads: 41%
· HHI $100k+: 32%
· Democrats: 27%
When comparing this year to previous sessions, a near-majority of voters said they heard the same amount of news about the state legislature as they typically do (47%). Statistically equal shares of voters – about 1 in 5 each – said they heard more or less than usual.
"Even with Utah's legislature making waves nationally, we're seeing that citizen awareness follows familiar patterns. National news grabs headlines, and state news often, unfortunately, takes a back seat,” said David Byler, NPI Chief of Research.
Fluoride Regulation: Pioneer Policy Meets Divided Public Opinion
Utah's groundbreaking decision to become the first state to ban fluoride in tap water ignited nationwide debate. The UTPOP found that Utah voters wanted something more moderate than a full ban – only 20% opposed adding fluoride to drinking water altogether, concerned about potential negative effects. Conversely, one-third of voters advocated for maintaining fluoride in drinking water, emphasizing its normality across states and well-established dental health benefits. A slim plurality (34%) favored a balanced approach, acknowledging fluoride's benefits while advocating for local rather than state-level regulation.
"Most Utahns don't have a strong opinion on fluoride itself and prefer decisions to be made at the local level rather than through centralized mandates," said David Byler. "That’s exactly what we’d expect given the political and social culture of the state. Local control is valued."
SNAP Benefits: A Political Fault Line
Food assistance policy – another national headline maker – emerged as one of the most polarizing issues in our survey. When asked whether SNAP benefits should be limited to healthy, nutritious foods, 49% of Utah voters agreed, while 44% said all food types should be covered by SNAP.
The issue created a stark partisan divide, with Republicans favoring restrictions as fiscally responsible and beneficial for public health. Democrats advocated for individual autonomy in food selection and flexibility in assistance programs.
"This division makes sense," explained Byler. "Republicans see themselves as paring the government down to the most efficient size and not letting government funds go to unhealthy food. Democrats, on the other hand, see SNAP recipients as people who have fallen on hard times and should be allowed to make their own choices. And, according to the Utah electorate broadly, these are both acceptable views."
Redistricting: Utahns Favor Independent Commissions
Recent debates over district boundaries have intensified discussions regarding who should control the redistricting process. This UTPOP found that 65% of Utah voters believe independent commissions should handle redistricting, compared to just 19% who say the state legislature should redraw district maps. The remaining 16% were unsure.
When presented with the strongest arguments from both perspectives, these numbers remained relatively consistent: 57% said independent commissions will draw the fairest maps without potential bias from the state legislature to benefit their parties, while 23% maintained that elected legislators should retain redistricting authority because they are accountable to voters, who can throw out legislators that draw unfair maps.
"Commissions tap into Utahns' – and all Americans' – desire for the people to have a say. If one side of a debate can successfully claim they’re the small-d democratic side, they usually do well," said Byler. " Plus, supporting a commission is another way of saying, ‘I don’t trust politicians.’ That feeling drives much of public debate today."
Just after Utah’s general legislative session, and now leading up to interim meetings, Utah is, despite its overall redness, genuinely divided on the issues at hand. Blyer concluded: "National politics is divided simply – there’s a big red team, a big blue team and a little persuadable slice. But those big-picture divisions obscure what happens in the states. Even in a red state like Utah, people disagree – Republicans fight each other on MAGA, MAHA, and more. There are always issues worth debating. Sometimes you just have to look beyond the familiar red-blue divisions to find them."
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.