Cedar Hills Wellbeing Survey Findings 2024
By Dr. Courtney Flint and Team

Contact Information
Dr. Courtney Flint
courtney.flint@usu.edu
435-797-8635
Summary
Cedar Hills is one of 51 cities participating in the Utah Wellbeing Survey Project in 2024. This project is designed to assess the wellbeing and local perspectives of city residents and to provide information to city leaders to inform general planning processes. Additional analysis is underway and this report may be updated over time.
We are grateful to all those who took the survey and to our city partners who helped to make this possible. We are grateful to a number of entities for funding: the Utah League of Cities and Towns, USU Extension, USU’s Institute for Land Water and Air, the Wasatch Front Regional Council, Utah Department of Transportation, the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, and the cities of Alpine, Cedar Hills, Draper, Millcreek, Nephi, North Salt Lake, Ogden, Orem, Pleasant Grove, Providence, Springdale, Tremonton, West Bountiful, and West Valley City.
This report describes findings from the 2024 Cedar Hills survey and comparative information with other project cities. In February and March 2024, Cedar Hills City advertised the survey for residents largely through email, social media, and the city website. All city residents age 18+ were encouraged to take the online Qualtrics survey.
How many people responded?
- 365 viable surveys were recorded in this 2024 survey effort.
- The adult population of Cedar Hills was estimated at 6,240, based on the American Community Survey by the U.S. Census. The 365 survey responses in 2024 represent 5.8% of the adult population and have a conservative margin of error of 4.98%.
Survey Respondent Characteristics
| Resident Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Full Time Residents of Cedar Hills | 99.2% |
| Part Time Residents of Cedar Hills | 0.8% |
| Length of Residency — Range | 1-44 years |
| Length of Residency — Average | 14.4 years |
| Length of Residency — Median | 14 years |
| Length of Residency 5 Years or less | 18.5% |
Demographic characteristics of the survey respondents were compared below with U.S. Census information from the 2018-2022 American Community Survey. In the graph below, gray bars indicate differences between the American Community Survey estimates and the Utah Wellbeing Project surveys. The wider the gray bars, the larger the differences. Also note that estimates for religious affiliation, adult non-conforming or non-binary gender, disability, and chronic conditions are unavailable from the census data. There can also be a variable margin of error in the American Community Survey estimates, and caution should be used when comparing estimates. Not all respondents provided demographic information. As the graph shows, 2024 survey respondents were not fully representative of Cedar Hills. People who have at least a 4-year college degree and are married were overrepresented while those who are age 18-29 and do not have a college degree were underrepresented.

Overall Personal Wellbeing and Overall Wellbeing in Cedar Hills
Survey participants were asked about their overall personal wellbeing and overall community wellbeing in Cedar Hills. These wellbeing indicators were both measured on a 5-point scale from poor (1) to excellent (5). The average personal wellbeing score in Cedar Hills was 4.33 with 89% of respondents indicating their wellbeing at a 4 or 5 on the 5-point scale. The average score for community wellbeing in Cedar Hills was 4.15 with 84% of respondents indicating community wellbeing at a 4 or 5 on the 5-point scale.


Comparing Wellbeing Across Utah Cities
The Utah League of Cities and Towns clusters cities and towns into five different categories based on size and growth rates. We utilize these clusters in our analysis. Cedar Hills is classified as an Established/Mid-sized City. Some cities may fit within more than one cluster.
Within the more Urban city cluster, Cedar Hills was well above the average overall personal wellbeing score and well above the average overall community wellbeing score.


Wellbeing Domains in Cedar Hills
According to national and international entities that track wellbeing, there are a number of common dimensions or domains of wellbeing. Survey respondents rated twelve domains on a 5-point scale from poor to excellent. They were also asked to indicate the importance of each domain to their overall personal wellbeing on a 5-point scale from not at all important to very important. The highest rated wellbeing domains for respondents in Cedar Hills were Family Life (90%), Living Standards (90%), and Safety and Security (88%). The most important wellbeing domains were Mental Health (98%), Safety and Security (97%), Family Life (97%), Physical Health (96%), and Living Standards (96%).

Wellbeing Matrix for Cedar Hills
The graph below illustrates the relationship between the average rating and the average importance of wellbeing domains for survey respondents from Cedar Hills. Family Life, Leisure Time, Living Standards, Mental Health, and Safety and Security were highly important and rated above average among the domains. Physical Health fell in the “red zone” of higher importance and lower ratings.

Community Connection in Cedar Hills
Survey participants were asked about how connected they feel to Cedar Hills on a 5-point scale from not at all (1) to a great deal (5), and the average score of all respondents was 3.49.

A positive relationship was found between individuals’ community connection and overall personal wellbeing as well as mental health.


The graph below shows how Wellbeing Project cities and towns compare on feelings of community connection based on the percentage of respondents who answered 4 or a 5 on a 5-point scale from “not at all” to “a great deal” connected to their city or town. Cedar Hills ranked 8 out of the 51 cities that participated.

Participation in Recreation and Nature-Related Activities
Respondents were asked to indicate whether or not they participated in various activities in the last 12 months. The most popular activities were walking or biking in your neighborhood or city (95%), using trails in or near your city (93%), and recreating in parks in your city (91%).

Non-motorized recreation on public lands or waters in Utah was significantly related to higher ratings of personal wellbeing.
None of the recreation activities above were significantly related to higher ratings of community wellbeing.
Participating in city recreation programs, participating in community events, and gardening at home were significantly related to higher ratings of community connection.
Perspectives on Population Growth and Economic Development
The majority of respondents in Cedar Hills indicated that they felt the population growth was just right (52%). For the pace of economic development, the majority of respondents indicated that it was just right (56%).


The graphs below show perceptions of population growth and economic development for Cedar Hills compared to other participating cities and towns in the Established/Mid-sized Cities cluster.


The graph below illustrates how many respondents perceived the pace of economic development as too slow, just right, too fast, or had no opinion, with additional breakdowns for the number of respondents who provided comments.

The 14% of respondents who rated the pace of economic growth as “too slow” were further asked what aspects of the local economy they would like to see more of in Cedar Hills. Most comments revolved around wanting more commercial development, particularly a sit-down restaurant as people felt there was enough fast food.
Additionally, the 21% of respondents who rated the pace of economic growth as “too fast” were further asked what aspects of the local economy they feel are growing too quickly in Cedar Hills. Many respondents mentioned that the retail and food options that have popped up are not serving the local population and are not the stores and food that they want to buy from. Another common comment was sadness over the loss of open space and loss of quaintness to development.
Transportation in Cedar Hills
Respondents were asked to indicate all of their primary modes of transportation on a regular basis in Cedar Hills. The most popular modes of transportation were personal car (100%) and walking (37%).

Respondents were asked to indicate the most common barriers to transportation in Cedar Hills. The most problematic barriers were Travel time (31%) and Cost (26%).

Respondents were asked to indicate the importance of a set of possible transportation developments in Cedar Hills. The most important development to respondents were Improving road surfaces (70%), Enhancing safety (61%), and More trails (54%).

Respondents were asked to indicate how frequently various activities take them out of Cedar Hills to another city or town. The most commonly indicated reasons for traveling to another city or town at least sometimes or once a month were Eating Out (95%), Friends and Family (94%), and Groceries (93%).

Concerns in Cedar Hills
Survey respondents indicated the degree to which a number of possible local issues were a concern as they look to the future of Cedar Hills. Water Supply (79%), Public Safety (75%), Air Quality (74%), and Water Quality (73%) were the top concerns.

Open Comments
All open comments collected in the survey were shared with city leaders. General observations and themes are shared here.
What Respondents Value Most in Cedar Hills
Survey respondents were asked to comment on what they value most about Cedar Hills. The most common words and phrases from all city comments are included in the word cloud below. It is possible that negative or unrelated words may appear since these words have been taken out of context, and they may not indicate the respondent’s intended meaning. Comments focused on how people in Cedar Hills value the peace, quiet, and safety of the town. Access to nature and outdoor recreation and small-town feel were also highly valued.

Local Environmental Quality in Cedar Hills
The 24% of respondents who rated the Local Environmental Quality domain as 1, 2, or 3 (Poor, Fair, or Moderate) were further asked if there are specific aspects of local environmental quality that they feel are problematic. Overall, air quality was noted as a considerable concern. Concerns were also expressed about the loss of green space due to growth and development. Many expressed a desire for action to be taken to solve some of these issues with frustration expressed about city management in this regard.
Improving Wellbeing in Cedar Hills
Survey respondents were asked if there is anything that could be done to improve wellbeing in Cedar Hills. People in Cedar Hills mentioned that concerns about the level of vandalism and mentioned wellbeing would be improved if vandalism stopped. Desired local opportunities were also mentioned, particularly access to a library, city recreation, and festivals. Transportation concerns were also mentions related to dangerous roads due speeding and traffic. Increased law enforcement was mentioned as a local need.
Additional Comments
Respondents were also asked if they had any additional comments on wellbeing in Cedar Hills. Government was a common theme for this question. Some comments mentioned that the current local government was doing a great job at leading the city, while other comments brought up concerns of current oversight or ‘heavy handedness’ of the local government. A similar diverging theme that arose was around social climate. Some mentioned they loved their community, but some also mentioned how they don’t feel welcomed or integrated into the Cedar Hills community.