This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The Salt Lake Tribune is the news source for all Utahns.

That's how those of us in the newsroom see it. Now a recent poll seems to support that role.

Sure, certain news stories will make individuals and factions unhappy, as will our editorial positions. And while we often are perceived as the paper and news website for non-Mormons, we believe that a high percentage — maybe even a majority — of our readers are Latter-day Saints.

In our most recent survey, conducted by national pollster SurveyUSA in the January lead-up to the 2016 Legislature and focused on issues lawmakers are confronting on Capitol Hill, we slipped in a question about ourselves. The Tribune has been in the news during the past two years as uncertainty about our ownership and business partnership with the Deseret News spawned speculation over our future. So we asked Utah voters for their take.

While we didn't ask this question directly, the vast majority clearly want us to survive the disruptive forces at work on newspapers nationwide. More than a third would like to see a Utahn buy The Tribune from its current owner, a New York-based hedge fund. Another third want us simply to continue the way we are, with no ownership change. Seven percent would like us to close. (Those must be the ones who don't get Rolly, Kirby and/or Bagley.)

The real story in the poll emerges in the demographic breakdowns. The responses remain surprisingly consistent regardless of gender, age, party affiliation, political ideology, education and income level.

When you examine religious affiliation, the percentages of Mormons and non-Mormons who would like to see a Utahn own The Tribune are identical — 35 percent. Those who want the newspaper to "operate as is" were 35 percent for Mormons, 33 percent for non-Mormons.

There is a difference when the LDS/non-LDS breakdown is applied to those who would like us gone — 9 percent for Mormons, 4 percent for non-Mormons. But for both groups, that option is in the clear minority. You see similar results in breakdowns comparing Republicans, Democrats and independents, and in conservatives versus liberals.

A possible dark cloud in the demographics: Younger Utahns expressed uncertainty about their opinion regarding our future, with 23 percent of those in the 18-to-34 age group answering "unsure" about who should own us.

Another interesting finding: Respondents identifying themselves as conservative are the ones most desiring local ownership of The Tribune, at 40 percent.

You can read all sorts of meaning into a dissection of the data. Trust me, I have.

But the consistency with which Utahns from many backgrounds prefer either local ownership or status quo is evidence we are hitting the standard we set for ourselves ­— being the paper and website for all.

Terry Orme is The Tribune's editor. Reach him at orme@sltrib.com.