Utah’s settlers made the desert blossom like a rose, and its current residents are determined to keep the rose hydrated.
A new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll, conducted by Morning Consult, found that Utahns are generally concerned about water usage and the receding shores of the Great Salt Lake.
While statewide reservoir storage currently sits at 68% — just above the median for this time of year — Utah is frequently in a drought. In 22 of the last 25 years, the state has experienced drought conditions of some kind.
Lawmakers have been trying to address the issue for decades, with various water-focused bills popping up through the 2026 legislative session. Data centers now have to report how much they use, farmers can sell their water to the Great Salt Lake, and state agencies now need to turn off their sprinklers while it’s raining.
The poll provided some insight on how state residents want the government to address the issue.
When asked what is the best way to get Utahns to use less water, more than half of state voters (58%) prefer state solutions that incentivize water-efficient landscaping, while 22% think the state should impose restrictions with penalties on cosmetic water use (like watering lawns).
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Government workers were the most likely demographic (71%) to favor incentive-based solutions, while those who were unemployed were most likely (28%) to favor imposing restrictions with penalties.
Additionally, 81% of Utahns are somewhat or very concerned about the Great Salt Lake’s water levels, 13% not very concerned and only 2% are not concerned at all.
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To bring the lake out of its “serious adverse effects” status, the Great Salt Lake commissioner said that 261 billion gallons of water (800,000 acre-feet) will need to be added.
Adults living in the suburbs were more concerned about the lake’s water levels than those in urban and rural communities.
How have Utahns changed their behavior to preserve water?
While about 80% of Utahns say they change their behavior to conserve water, the only action a majority report taking is watering their lawns less.
As annual income increases, so does the likelihood of an individual reducing their lawn watering, the poll showed. Those who earned more than $100,000 annually were significantly more likely to say they cut back on watering their lawn than those making less than $50,000.
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Simultaneously, Gen Xers and baby boomers were equally likely to cut lawn watering (68%), while the likelihood dropped with age. Perhaps Gen Zers do not have lawns to water.
On the whole, 47% of Utahns reported washing their cars less frequently to save water. The share was highest among Democratic men, of whom 70% reported less frequent car washes to conserve water.
Other polled behaviors included water used with hygiene.
Democratic men were more likely (62%) to say they take shorter showers than Democratic women (49%) and all Republicans. However as a whole, women (46%) were more likely to cut shower length than men (41%).
About 1 in 5 Utahns say they flush the toilet less frequently to preserve water.
Democratic women were more likely (33%) than everyone else to flush less. Republican women (23%) and Republican men (20%) were more likely than Democratic men (19%) to do the same.
Unlike reducing lawn watering, those making more than $100,000 annually were the least likely to reduce flushing the toilet.
The poll was conducted between March 6-10 among 800 registered voters. Interviews were conducted online, and results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
