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State image, or perceptions nonresidents hold about the attributes of certain activities and attractions present within a state, changes slowly. Advertising, media accounts, conversations with acquaintances are all accepted as change agents. This report analyzes changes in the state of Utah's image between 1971 and 1983 by repeating a 1971 study on Utah's image; identical questions were utilized in a study completed in 1983 to elicit responses used to determine image change. Results indicated that for every activity and attraction analyzed, in no case was image change negative and in many cases it was positive. Factors causing the change were most likely a mix of organic and induced influences; state advertising based on the 1971 study findings was viewed as greatly contributing to the change. Indications are that successfully changing state image will result in that state becoming a more desirable destination for nonresidents.
Gartnerand et al. (Thu,) studied this question.