For many Utahns, it’s an indelible and bone-jarring memory from the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When a 5.7 magnitude earthquake, centered around Magna, shook northern Utah on March 18, 2020, it struck as residents were reeling from early coronavirus lockdowns and wreaked upward of $50 million in damage.
Years later, that temblor and its nerve-rattling aftershocks appear to have dramatically altered at least some public attitudes on Utah’s ability to withstand an even more massive quake — known as the “Big One” — thought to be looming on its 50-year horizon.
About 3 in 4 Utahns now believe it will take six months or more for life to return to normal after a major earthquake, according to a 2024 survey compared to a little more than 1 in 4 cited in a 2020 poll.
Yet, in general, the new survey suggests residents are only moderately concerned about a predicted 6.75 temblor or greater headed toward the Wasatch Front.
(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
That’s even though experts say the upheaval would be powerful enough to crumble thousands of homes, schools and public buildings — and inflict an economic toll of at least $80 billion, along with the loss of hundreds of lives.
Many earthquake experts continue to work at overcoming a sense of public apathy or distraction from preparing for such a disaster.
“You can be fatalistic and say, ‘We’ll never recover,’ but I refuse to believe we have to accept that,” Utah’s state geologist, Bill Keach, said in a recent interview, warning of a mass exodus of residents in the aftermath of a big quake.
“We can do things so that we don’t lose 500,000 people, that we have a water supply that still works and we have an infrastructure so our economy can move on,” Keach said. “Those are important messages that people need to hear.”
The new survey, released by the regional planning group Envision Utah, finds Utahns instead worry more about human-caused disasters, such as an economic crash, political unrest or a cyberattack.
Ari Bruening, the group’s president and CEO, said he was heartened that the new poll showed most Utahns seemed to be aware that the Wasatch fault is due for a sizable earthquake — and that it is probably going to be severe.
The vast majority of residents, indeed, know a large quake is likely to hit in their lifetimes, the survey found, and about 60% say they are motivated to prepare. Fewer than half, however, believe it will have a major impact on their lives.
Deaths and long-term devastation from such a quake are lesser worries, the survey found, compared to the potential for short-term loss of drinking water, electricity, sewer or damage to homes. About half said while they agreed an earthquake could be severe, they have too many other urgent life concerns to worry about it now.
Bruening said he was not surprised that many Utahns put earthquake concerns lower on their list of priorities compared to more everyday challenges.
“You know you need to eat,” he said. “You don’t know that there’s going to be an earthquake. So that is at least rational.”
The survey, published Monday, is based on a representative sample of 812 Utahs age 18 or older living in 12 counties, with interviews done in August and September.
Notably, the poll indicates most Utahns believe state and municipal governments bear the greatest responsibility for improving earthquake resilience, followed by federal officials, school districts and religious groups.
About half do not think those governments are doing enough.
Utah lawmakers nixed the idea earlier this year of replacing a long-serving panel of earthquake experts focused on seismic preparedness after the Legislature canceled the work of that Utah Seismic Safety Commission in 2024.
Scientists, structural engineers, architects, government officials and other stakeholders had worked for nearly three decades to improve the state’s readiness in light of the looming Big One, focusing on vulnerable water and energy transmission lines, while raising awareness on unreinforced brick buildings.
That panel was phased out in 2024, with little explanation on Capitol Hill.
A new bill, proposed during the recently completed 2025 legislative session to create a new Utah Commission for Earthquake Preparedness, died in a Senate committee.
GOP opponents of HB513 said the roles of promoting public awareness and preparing for a large quake were already being carried out by the state Department of Public Safety and other state agencies, overseen by Gov. Spencer Cox.
