SALT LAKE CITY — We now have data to see which college team Utah supports most. And the data leans toward the University of Utah.
The UtahPolicy.com survey, done by Dan Jones and Associates, found that the University of Utah is the most popular college team in the Beehive State. Utahns expect the Utes to have the best season among all Utah college football teams.
The survey was done before the University of Utah’s season-opening victory over Weber State and before BYU’s win over the University of Arizona. Most of the data came before Utah State nearly beat Michigan State, too.
More than one-third of Utahns support the U. (36 percent), whereas 29 percent support BYU and 11 percent prefer Utah State. A lowly 6 percent prefer Weber State, according to the poll.
The new poll identified how Utah residents feel about the local college sports rivalry based on political affiliations, too.
The survey found 44 percent of Republicans prefer BYU, while only 6 percent of Democrats felt the same.
Meanwhile, 61 percent of Utah Democrats prefer the Utes, while 21 percent of Republicans support the University of Utah.
The survey found 45 percent of political independents chose the University of Utah as their primary team, while 8 percent prefer the Cougars.
The survey found 51 percent of Utahns who identify as “very conservative” prefer BYU. The study found 21 percent of that group prefer the Utes, while 10 percent like the Aggies and 3 percent favor the Wildcats.
You can read more of the study results at UtahPolicy.com.
A study last year from VividSeats also found that the Utes were the most popular college football team in the state.