Sept. 24, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Danica Farley
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(801) 419-8544
Perceptions about Salt Lake City’s downtown are changing
Salt Lake City- Utahns are feeling better about downtown as their urban center and capital city, according to new poll numbers released today by the Downtown Alliance.
“Downtown belongs to everyone and it’s great to see people across the state embracing the region’s urban center,” said Jason Mathis, executive director of the Downtown Alliance. “We are fulfilling the promises of Downtown Rising everyday through brick and mortar projects and a renewed enthusiasm for Utah’s capital city.”
35 percent of Utahns indicated that their perceptions of downtown had improved over the last 12 months, while 12 percent said they got worse.
47 percent of all respondents either strongly or somewhat agreed when asked if they felt they had a sense of ownership and connection with downtown, a 13 percent increase from 2009.
88 percent of all respondents agreed that downtown represented Utah’s capital city in a positive way.
55 percent said that it was easier to commute downtown than it was 12 months ago. And Utahns are less concerned about traffic congestion downtown than they were a year ago (25 percent in 2010 vs. 31 percent in 2011). One negative on the poll showed that 12 percent of Utahns continue to think of parking as a barrier to visiting downtown. That number remained consistent with 2009 data in spite of hundreds of new parking spaces that opened last year.
Other highlights of the data include:
Dining remains the most popular reason for visiting downtown, followed by shopping and religious services. Sporting events, community events and festivals and performance arts also ranked high on the list.
Dining: 40 percent
Shopping: 36 percent
Religious Services: 34 percent
Sporting Events: 23 percent
Community Events and Festivals: 23 percent
Performance Arts: 18 percent
The telephone poll of 406 Utahns was conducted by Light House Research in coordination with downtown-based Richter 7 who donated services to help direct and compile the research. The poll was conducted in August and September of 2010, and has a 4.86 margin of error. The annual benchmarking poll was initiated in 2009 to measure regional attitudes about Salt Lake City’s downtown.
The Downtown Alliance is dedicated to building a dynamic and diverse community that is the regional center for culture, commerce and entertainment. For more information, visit downtownslc.org.
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