SALT LAKE CITY — It's not crime, not crowded highways or even crowded classrooms that concern Utah residents the most and pose the greatest threat to their quality of life.
If you look out the window, it is the air and the pollution that hangs on during winter temperature inversions or summer bouts of haze.
A survey by Envision Utah reveals that a significant segment of people statewide — 11 percent — identified poor air quality as the most negative thing about living in Utah, with lack of diversity and an “overbearing” federal government drawing the next highest similar responses at 5 percent each.
A plurality of those residents polled, 15 percent, said the best thing about living in Utah is the values and morals of the people who live in the state, the family and kid friendliness of Utah, and the scenic beauty, 8 percent and 6 percent respectively.
"I think there is a growing awareness that has happened," said Ari Bruening, Envision Utah's chief operating officer. "People are more aware of the health impacts and more aware of the quality of the air in general. The data I have seen suggests that the air is not dirtier than it has been in the past, and in fact it is much cleaner. But people are more aware of the problem."
The survey was done Aug. 25-Sept. 8 and involved about 1,000 residents across the state.
Bruening pointed out that poor air quality threatens core values identified in the survey, attacking the health of families and impairing the ability to get out and enjoy that scenic beauty.
Envision Utah has been surveying quality of life issues in polls conducted in 1997, 2007 and again last year, and Bruening said never has poor air quality stood out as such a paramount concern.
He said that strong showing is surprising given the time of year the survey was conducted — late August and early September — and that the concern was voiced in all corners of the state.
"Even in the rural area they cited poor air quality as having an impact," Bruening said, pointing to the 8 percent who identified it as the No. 1 factor that threatens quality of life.
Previous Envision Utah research on air quality found that most people believe conditions are "mostly OK," but that pollution becomes especially problematic during a few weeks in the winter.
Residents, according to the research, are clear on what they believe will combat the problem, with those polled saying that top strategies should be the expansion of transit and making improvements to the system, improving energy efficiency in homes and changing the type of cars that are driven in the state.
Bruening said those solutions align with priorities identified by the Clean Air Action Team assembled by Envision Utah at the request of Utah Gov. Gary Herbert.
"As the clean air action team looked at the different strategies, the thing that clearly came to the top as having the greatest impact on the air quality is how clean the cars are that we drive," Bruening said.
Most consumers don't realize there is a smog rating tied to cars and most new cars rank in the No. 6 spot on a scale of 1 to 10.
"If you just buy a smog rating of 8, go up two points, that cuts emissions by 75 percent. Just imagine trying to get people to drive 75 percent less. Unless we ban driving, that is not going to happen," he said. "I think educating the public about the smog rating, to get them to begin to think about it when they are buying a car, that is going to make a difference."
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality includes EPA-related information on its website about smog ratings, and what to look for in new and used car purchases.
Bruening also encouraged residents to go to Envision Utah's Your Utah Your Future website and play along with air quality scenarios. The interactive "game" allows residents to pick different policy options in arenas like air quality and conservation of water and see likely outcomes as Utah doubles its population in the next 35 years.
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