This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
In response to Devin Bayles Hancock's Aug. 20 op-ed regarding the Bears Ears poll ("Utahns want Bears Ears monument? Not the ones I surveyed"): Benenson Strategy Group, along with Republican polling firm Public Opinion Strategies, was commissioned by Pew Charitable Trusts to conduct a statewide poll of registered voters in Utah.
In designing the poll, we took great care to ensure it was representative of registered voters across the state. We believe it is important to ask all Utahns, not just those in San Juan County, what they think of a potential monument, as this public land belongs to all.
Voters in San Juan County make up 0.5 percent of Utah's total voting population. Our poll reflects that reality.
However, to ensure that our survey took into account voters' opinions from across the state, we included extra interviews with voters from Southeastern Utah, including 26 respondents from San Juan County, along with additional interviews from Emery, Garfield, Kane and Wayne Counties.
The data cannot be looked at on a county level but it is an indication of how voters across Utah feel about the monument.
The results are clear. Utahns support a Bears Ears National Monument, and while Hancock's Facebook friends may not, that alone does not discredit the results of a professionally conducted statewide survey.
Shira Angert
Benenson Strategy Group
Philadelphia