Delta Wellbeing Survey Findings
May 2021
Summary
Delta City is one of 30 cities currently participating in the Utah Wellbeing Survey Project and has been involved since 2020. This project is designed to assess the wellbeing and local perspectives of city residents and to provide information to city leaders to inform their general planning process. It is important to note that the 2021 survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was intentional as the last round of wellbeing surveys were conducted in 2020 prior to the pandemic. This allows us to assess changes at this unique period of time. Future surveys are anticipated to gauge recovery.
What is in this report?
This report describes findings from the 2021 Delta survey with initial information on changes since 2020 and some comparative information with other project cities. Feedback from city leaders and planners is welcome. We will continue with analysis and reporting.
How was the survey conducted?
In January and February 2021, Delta City advertised the survey via monthly newsletter, social media, and the city website. All city residents age 18+ were encouraged to take the online Qualtrics survey.
How many people responded?
- 90 viable surveys were recorded in this 2021 survey effort with 81% complete responses.
- The 2020 survey had 88 responses. The 2020 Delta Wellbeing Survey report is available on the Utah Wellbeing Project website.
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The adult population of Delta was estimated at 2,350 based on the 2015-2019 American Community Survey. The 90 survey responses represent 3.8% of the adult population and have a conservative margin of error of 10.13%.
Key Findings in Delta
Overall Personal Wellbeing and Community Wellbeing in Delta were below average among 29 study cities.
Highest Rated Wellbeing Domains:
- Safety and Security
- Local Environmental Quality
- Connection with Nature
Most Important Wellbeing Domains:
- Mental Health
- Safety and Security
- Physical Health
Red Zone Domain: (High Importance, Low Rating)
- Mental Health
- Physical Health
- Leisure Time
COVID-19 had greatest impact on Social Connections, Cultural Opportunities, and Mental Health. Overall personal wellbeing declined in last year for 47% of respondents.
Perceptions that residents take action in Delta were far higher than in any other study area. Feelings of community connection were also higher in Delta than in most other study communities.
The majority of respondents felt the rate of Population Growth was just right, but that the Pace of Economic Development was too slow.
Top concerns for the future of Delta were:
- Substance Abuse (79% Moderate or Major Concern)
- Opportunities for Youth (77% Moderate or Major Concern)
- Employment Opportunities (74% Moderate or Major Concern)
- Affordable Housing (68% Moderate or Major Concern)
- Shopping Opportunities (67% Moderate or Major Concern)
What do people value most about Delta?
Small-town feel and sense of community.
Survey Respondent Characteristics
Full Time Residents of Delta | 98.9% |
Part Time Residents of Delta | 1.1% |
Length of Residency - Range | 1-59 years |
Length of Residency - Average | 26 years |
Length of Residency - Median | 26 years |
Length of Residence 5 Years or Less | 10.0% |
Demographic characteristics of the survey respondents are compared below with U.S. Census information from the 2016-2020 American Community Survey. As the table shows, survey respondents were not fully representative of Delta. People who are female, have at least a 4-year college degree or more, are married, own their home, and have children in household were particularly overrepresented. People age 18-29 are particularly underrepresented. Not all respondents provided demographic information. Weighting was not used in any of the analysis for the findings presented below. Updates will be provided later in 2021 to account for weighting by demographic characteristics.
Table 1
Demographic Characteristics of Survey Respondents and U.S. Census Data for Delta
Demographic Characteristics | Delta Online Wellbeing Surveys | American Community Survey 2016-2022 Estimates |
|
---|---|---|---|
2020 (N=88) | 2021 (N=90) | ||
Age 18-29 | 18.5% | 20.5% | 12.5% |
Age 30-39 | 29.6% | 28.8% | 21.9% |
Age 40-49 | 21.0% | 26.0% | 10.3% |
Age 50-59 | 13.6% | 15.1% | 14.7% |
Age 60-69 | 11.1% | 8.2% | 24.7% |
Age 70 or over | 6.2% | 1.4% | 15.9% |
Adult female | 66.7% | 79.5% | 53.9% |
Adult male | 33.3% | 20.5% | 46.1% |
No college degree | 67.9% | 79.5% | 76.6% |
College degree (4-year) | 33.3% | 20.5% | 23.4% |
Median household income | NA | NA | $52,693 |
Income under $25,000 | 10.1% | 6.8% | 20.7% |
Income $25,000-$49,999 | 19.0% | 19.2% | 27.9% |
Income $50,000 to $74,999 | 19.0% | 24.7% | 21.4% |
Income $75,000 to $99,999 | 22.8% | 12.3% | 11.4% |
Income $100,000 to $149,999 | 24.1% | 16.4% | 12.9% |
Income $150,000 or over | 5.1% | 12.3% | 5.7% |
Latter-day Saint | 68.8% | 76.7% | NA |
Other religion | 13.8% | 13.7% | NA |
No religious preference | 17.5% | 9.6% | NA |
Hispanic/Latino | NA | 4.2% | 20.9% |
White | 98.8% | 97.2% | 86.7% |
Nonwhite | 1.2% (includes Hispanic/Latino) | 2.8% | 13.3% |
Married | 85.4% | 62.2% | 64.0% |
Children under 18 in household | 63.0% | 58.9% | 38.6% |
Employed (combined) | 75.6% | 71.2% | 54.0% |
Out of work and looking for work | 0.0% | 1.4% | 1.8% |
Other | 24.4% | 27.4% | 44.2% |
Own home/owner occupied | NA | 80.8% | 61.6% |
Rent home/renter occupied/other | NA | 19.2% | 38.4% |
Overall Personal Wellbeing and Overall Wellbeing in Delta
Survey participants were asked about their overall personal wellbeing and overall community wellbeing in Delta. These wellbeing indicators both measured on a 5-point scale from very poor (1) to excellent (5). The average personal wellbeing score in Delta was 3.78, with 67% of respondents indicating their wellbeing at a 4 or 5 on the 5-point scale. The average score for community wellbeing in Delta was 3.51 with 52% of respondents indicating city wellbeing at a 4 or 5 on the 5-point scale.
The graph below compares 2020 and 2021 survey data from Delta for personal wellbeing score and community wellbeing. Personal wellbeing declined, but community wellbeing in Delta increased between 2020 and 2021. Individuals are not tracked from year to year.
Perceived Changes to Wellbeing in the Last Year
The COVID-19 pandemic dominated much of 2020. Survey respondents were asked if their overall personal wellbeing or wellbeing had changed in the last year. Survey findings show that 47% of respondents indicated that their personal wellbeing declined in that time and 48% of respondents indicated that wellbeing in Delta declined as well.
Comparing Wellbeing Across Utah Cities
The Utah League of Cities and Towns classifies Delta as falling in the Traditional Rural Community cluster of Utah cities (which we have combined with the Rural Hub/Resort Cities). Within this cluster, Delta was below average in terms of the average overall personal wellbeing score and average community wellbeing score. Delta was not statistically significantly different other cities in this cluster in terms of overall personal wellbeing, but it was statistically significantly higher than East Carbon and statistically significantly lower than Richfield on overall community wellbeing.
Wellbeing Domains in Delta
According to national and international entities that track wellbeing, there are a number of common dimensions or domains of wellbeing. In this survey, respondents rated ten domains on a 5-point scale from poor to excellent, suggesting how their wellbeing was doing well in each area. 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 top three highest rated wellbeing domains for respondents in Delta were Safety and Security, Local Environmental Quality, and Connection with Nature. The three most important wellbeing domains were Mental Health, Safety and Security, and Physical Health.
Wellbeing Matrix for Delta
The graph below illustrates the relationship between the average rating and the average importance of wellbeing domains for survey respondents from Delta. Safety and Security, and Living Standards were highly important and rated above average among the domains. Leisure Time, Physical Health, and Mental Health fell into the red quadrant or “Red Zone”, indicating that it was of higher-than-average importance, but rated lower than average. Please note that all domains except for Cultural Opportunities had an average rating above 3.0 (moderate) and the importance score for all domains was higher than 3.0 (moderately important).
How did the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact Wellbeing Domains?
The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact was most strongly felt regarding Cultural Opportunities, Social Connections, and Mental Health. Improvements were reported in Leisure Time for 14% of respondents and Connection to Naturefor 12% of respondents.
The graphs below show how the domains were rated in 2020 and 2021 by Delta residents.
How are Demographic Characteristics Related to Wellbeing?
The number of survey responses for Delta are insufficient for multivariate analysis of the influence of demographic characteristics on wellbeing. It does appear from other cities that factors such as age, gender, religion and income are significantly related to wellbeing. If we are able to gather more responses in the future, we will be able to asses these relationships.
Community Action & Connections in Delta
Survey participants were asked about community actions and community connection in Delta. Both questions were scored on a 5-point scale from not at all (1) to a great deal (5). When asked about the degree to which people take action together in response to local problems or opportunities in Delta, the average score was 3.99. When asked about the degree they feel connected to their community, the average score was 3.22.
A significant, positive relationship was found between individuals’ community connection and overall personal wellbeing.
Comparing Community Action and Connection Across Cities
The graphs below show how Wellbeing Project cities compare on the degree to which people take action in response to local problems and opportunities and how connected people feel to their city as a community. Delta is by far the top city on perceived community action and is in the top 5 on community connection based on the number of people indicating a 4 or 5 on a 5- point scale.
Participation in Community Activities
Respondents were asked to indicate whether or not they participated in seven different activities and a community activeness score was calculated by adding activities. The average community activeness score for Delta was 2.72. Church group activities (53%) was the most common activity for respondents, followed by working with others on an issue in the community (46%) and school group activities (44%).
Influence of Landscape on Wellbeing
Survey participants were asked about the influence of landscape features on their wellbeing. Natural landscape including mountains, trails, rivers and streams, and city parks were found to have an overwhelmingly positive influence on wellbeing. In terms of development and industry in the landscape, respondents were a bit more divided, but still more positive than negative.
Perspectives on Population Growth and Economic Development
Just over half of Delta survey respondents indicated they felt population growth was just right (55%) and that economic development was too slow (57%).
The graphs below show how Delta compares to other participating cities in the Wellbeing Project on these perceptions of population growth and economic development.
Concerns in Delta
Survey respondents indicated the degree to which a number of possible local issues were a concern as they look to the future of Delta. Substance Abuse, Opportunities for Youth, and Employment Opportunities were the top three concerns with 74% to 79% of respondents indicating these were moderate or major concerns.
Other concerns were raised by 11 respondents who filled in the “other” category.
Other Concerns Mentioned |
|
Drugs |
Gun ownership |
High taxes |
Housing crash |
Lack of indoor recreational center |
People not wearing a mask |
People taking COVID seriously |
Powerplant reduction in workforce |
Social connections |
Unemployment |
Water usage |
|
Summary of Open Comments
The survey provided opportunities for respondents to share their ideas about Delta with one question on what they value most about their city and another for any additional comments on wellbeing. A summary of values is below. Analysis is ongoing regarding all additional comments and a summary will be added to the report later in 2021.
Key themes in response to “Please tell us what you value most about living in Delta”
Contact Information
Dr. Courtney Flint
courtney.flint@usu.edu
435-797-8635
On This Page
The Utah League of Cities and Towns is a collaborator on this project and the following people have contributed to this effort in many ways: Casey Trout, Rachel Sagers, Madison Fjeldsted, Jordan Hammon, and Sarah Wilson.
Utah State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution and is committed to a learning and working environment free from discrimination, including harassment. For USU’s non-discrimination notice, see equity.usu.edu/non-discrimination.