U.S. ENGLISH, Inc.: Towards a United America

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 1998

Contact:

Tim Schultz
800/787-8216
202/833-0100

Poll Shows Utahns Overwhelmingly Support English As Official Language

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAHA poll of registered voters in Utah shows that they favor making English the official language of the state by a better than three to one margin. Seventy-one percent of respondents favored official English legislation, while only twenty-one percent were opposed. The survey was taken on February 5, just three days after the Utah House Government Operations Committee voted to block a bill which would have made English the official language of the state. The poll was commissioned by U.S.ENGLISH, Inc., and conducted by the Tarrance Group.

"This poll shows that the legislature is completely out of touch with the people of Utah," said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board/CEO of U.S.ENGLISH. "Utahns want English as their official language, and it is tragic that the legislature is ignoring the will of the people. I hope the legislature will reconsider, and act swiftly to make English the official language of Utah."

The poll also found that two-thirds of Utahns favor making English the official language of the United States. A bill designating English as the official language of the United States (H.R.123) is cosponsored by all three Utah Representatives in Congress: James Hansen, Merrill Cook, and Chris Cannon.

If Utah were to make English its official language, it would become the twenty-fourth state to do so. Utahs official English legislation, H.B.189, would require most government actions and documents to be in English, with common-sense exceptions such as public health and safety information, the needs of the justice system, and international trade and tourism. The specific exception to promote tourism means that there would be no negative impact on the Salt Lake City Olympics.

U.S.ENGLISH is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting English as the common language of the United States. The group was founded in 1983 by the late Senator S.I. Hayakawa of California, and now has over six thousand members in Utah and over 1.3 million members nationwide.

The poll of 400 registered voters was conducted by the Tarrance Group on February 5, 1998, with a margin of error of ± 4.9%.

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