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SALT LAKE CITY — Medical marijuana landed on a list of priorities among Utah voters this year, but it seems younger voters aren't too optimistic about legalizing the substance.
A Utah Foundation survey of voters conducted early this year reveals medical marijuana is the 18th most important issue facing Utahns, with health care, air quality, education, taxes, and jobs and the economy rounding out the top five.
And while it was important enough to land on the list, it is also important to note that 58 percent of voters ages 18 to 25 believe legalizing medical marijuana would not have a positive impact on society, according to the foundation.
"We were pretty surprised at the difference between younger and older Utahns on this issue," said Mallory Bateman, a Utah Foundation research analyst.
Of respondents ages 61 to 70, 55 percent agreed that legalization would lead to a positive impact on society, she said.
Bateman did say, however, that the number of young voters who participated in the survey was just 22, whereas the pool of older voters was much larger and therefore a potentially more accurate representation of reality.
The Utah Foundation, a local nonprofit, nonpartisan research group, previously revealed the top 21 priorities of Utah voters as part of its Utah Priorities Project, an election-year effort to inform not only voters, but delegates and the people running for office in the state. It aims to publish reports on each of the top 10 issues, and blog posts for each after that, working from the bottom, Bateman said.
A blog regarding the survey questions about medical marijuana was posted Thursday.
71% of US young adults support medical marijuana, only 25% of Utah’s youngest voters predict positive impact https://t.co/BARABsvQCo#utpol
— Utah Foundation (@UtahFoundation) August 11, 2016
Continued legislative efforts to legalize medical marijuana created "a flurry of excitement" around the issue during the 2016 Legislature, but Bateman said it's hard to tell whether that excitement carries into real life, as the issue isn't as important as some others people face, according to survey results.
Another reason medical marijuana might not have earned a higher spot on the list, she said, is that as the proposed bill was pared down, the group of people it might impact became smaller and smaller.
"It's a tricky survey because we ask, 'What's important to you?' And a lot of things are very important to a lot of people," Bateman said, adding that education, taxes and health care regularly land among the top priorities of Utah voters.
This year, though, health care made a big jump up the list, and new to the list were air and water quality issues that are obviously making an impression on the quality of life in the Beehive State.
The group also conducted surveys asking delegates and the state's gubernatorial candidates what they believe Utah voters' top priorities are, and Bateman said "they don't always line up."
"At the very least, we're trying to shed light on what the electorate is thinking is important at this time," she said.
The survey was conducted via landline and cellphone connection, as well as a small contingent of online readers. To see the entire list, as prioritized by respondent voters, visit UtahFoundation.org.
