WASHINGTON - Today, the Joint Economic Committee’s Social Capital Project released a brief highlighting the health of social capital in Utah.

Utah has consistently been recognized for its unique and robust community life. But the Social Capital Project has taken this a step further and quantified some of the factors that go into that distinction. The study, titled “The Wealth of Strong Families, Communities, and Congregations: Utah as a Case Study in Social Capital,” also explores the role of religion as an influence on social capital, highlighting distinctive features of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that may contribute to the strength of family and community in the state.

The brief draws on the Social Capital Index developed earlier by the Project. The Social Capital Project is an initiative of incoming JEC Chairman Mike Lee (R-UT), intended to highlight and study our fraying social fabric.