Poll: Utah voters, regardless of political party, support Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante

People rally in opposition of Utah’s lawsuit attempting to take control of federal lands at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

With the incoming Trump administration expected to again reduce Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, new polling suggests that might not be a politically popular move in Utah. 

That’s according to a new survey released Tuesday that shows a majority of respondents, including Republicans, Democrats and independents, support efforts to keep the monuments at their current sizes. 

The poll was commissioned by Grand Canyon Trust, a nonprofit advocating for conservation and environmental justice in the Southwest. Pollsters from New Bridge Strategy surveyed 500 registered voters across Utah from Dec. 12 to 18. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.38 percentage points. 

Here are some key findings from the poll: 

• About 75% of Utah voters support a president’s ability to “to protect public lands as national monuments.” That includes 48% of respondents who said they “strongly support” it. 
• That support is clear regardless of political affiliation, with 65% of Republicans, 82% of independents and 98% of Democrats saying they support the president’s ability to create monuments. 
• About 65% say they support keeping existing national monuments at their current sizes, with 65% of them saying they “strongly support” it. 
• Again, there is support across party lines, with 54% of Republicans, 72% of independents and 96% of Democrats saying they support keeping the state’s monuments as is. 
• Voters support keeping Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments — 71% want Bears Ears to remain a national monument, while 74% support keeping Grand Staircase-Escalante. 
• Although Republicans again appear to be the least supportive, at least 61% of GOP voters say both monuments should remain.  
• About 89% of voters say it’s important for the region’s tribes to have a “strong role in managing their ancestral lands.” 
• Roughly 80% say the incoming Trump administration should keep the existing management agreement for Bears Ears in place, which emphasizes collaboration with tribal governments. 
• That sentiment is clear across party lines — about 74% of Republicans, 84% of independents and 99% of Democrats say they support the management agreement.  
• And 67% of respondents say the Biden administration’s restoration of both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in 2021 was “more of a good thing.” 

When asked about the findings on Tuesday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he disagrees with the sentiment that the monuments should remain as is.  

“I think the way they were created was wrong,” he told Utah News Dispatch. “I think it’s a complete violation of the Constitution and the Antiquities Act, and so we’ll continue to fight to get those the right size.” 

Cox has previously said having national monument status brings more people to the area, and the federal government lacks funding and resources to handle the influx. And, the designations hinder industries like mining or grazing. 

Grand Staircase-Escalante was established in 1996 by former President Bill Clinton who used his power under the Antiquities Act, a law passed in 1906 that gives the president authority to declare national monuments to protect areas of cultural, historical and scientific significance. 

Former President Barack Obama established Bears Ears in 2016, during the final days of his presidency, again using the Antiquities Act. 

Then in 2017, both monuments were scaled back by President Donald Trump, who cut Bears Ears from 1.36 million acres to 1 million acres, and Grand Staircase-Escalante from 1.35 million acres to 229,000 acres. 

Four years later in 2021, President Joe Biden restored the monuments to their original sizes. Utah is now challenging that decision in federal appeals court. 

Cox, and attorneys for the state, say the Antiquities Act was not intended to enact sweeping, million-plus acre designations. Cox often refers to language in the act that calls for the smallest size designation necessary to protect artifacts that are at risk. 

In response, environmental groups point to former President Teddy Roosevelt, who used the act 18 times between 1906 to 1909, creating what eventually became Grand Canyon and Olympic national parks, national monuments like Utah’s Natural Bridges, and more. 

But regardless of Utah’s lawsuit, it’s likely that the incoming Trump administration will again reduce both monuments, a back-and-forth that’s been called “political football.” In 2017, Trump rescinded the monuments after almost a year in office — this time, advocates expect the decision to come sooner, since it will be the second time around for the administration. 

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“We’ve heard and are expecting modifications similar to the first Trump administration,” said Charissa Miijessepe-Wilson, co-director of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition. “And we do expect them to be swifter as that as this administration has taken a lot of lessons from its first time.” 

The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition is made up of representatives from the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni, and Ute Indian Tribe, which all coalesced in 2015 to lobby the Obama administration to enact the monument. The Bears Ears area is of rich cultural significance for the region’s tribes, with more than 100,000 archaeological and cultural sites. 

One of the stated goals of the Antiquities Act was to protect culturally significant sites from being damaged or looted. Now, with a reduction likely, tribal leaders and advocates worry about the future of the sites, particular in Bears Ears.

“We’re seeing in Utah this large uptick of vandalism to cultural sites and it is a concern that if these monuments are shrunk and they don’t have these protections, certain individuals are going to feel more comfortable about going in, looting these areas and putting graffiti on sacred petroglyph panels,” said Autumn Gillard, a member of the Paiute Indian Tribe. “We would like to see the land protected and maintained in its natural state.” 

The poll results released Tuesday are mostly in line with previous polling on the issue, which often show there’s more support to keep the monuments as is. A 2023 survey conducted by the Deseret News found that 42% of voters support keeping Bears Ears at its current size, compared to 26% who opposed it and 32% saying they weren’t sure.  

Utah state Sen. Nate Blouin, D-Salt Lake City, said he often hears concerns from constituents about the reduction of monuments. 

“I hear all the time from people who are accessing these lands,” he said on Tuesday. “It’s such a critical issue for quality of life, it’s an economic driver. And so it’s been tough to watch the political football, which I think people are frustrated with. We need some stability for our public lands.”