Deseret (Deseret)

The Democratic States of Deseret
Flag
Motto: "Peace Through Faith"
Anthem: For the Strength of the Hills
Capital	Great Salt Lake City
Largest city	Los Angeles
Official languages	English Spanish
Ethnic groups (2023)	42.41% White 21.68% Hispanic 9.09% Black 7.27% Asian 3.78% Native 2.06% Pacific Islander 8.48% Two or more 5.23% Other
Religion (2023)	70.9% Atheist 17.46% Christianity 5.41% Methodist 4.21% Seventh-day Adventist 4.02% Latter-day Saint 2.72% Catholic 3.1% Other Christian 3.42% Agnostic 2.74% Muslim 1.36% Buddhist 1.02% Hindu 0.82% Jewish 2.28% Other
Demonym(s)	Deseretian
Government	Semi-Federal presidential social democracy
• President	Nicole Young
• Vice President	Madison West
• Assembly Speaker	María Alejandra Lacasa
• Chief Justice	Savvanah Taite
Legislature	Citizens Assembly
Sovereign State
• Pioneers reach the Salt Lake Valley	22 July 1847
• Constitution ratified	14 May 1848
• Last state admitted	13 February 1943
• Last amendment ratified	4 December 2022
Area
• Total	597,851.35 sq mi (1,548,427.9 km2)
Population
• 2023 estimate	62,967,525
• 2020 census	58,552,297
• Density	105.3/sq mi (40.7/km2)
GDP (PPP)	2023 estimate
• Total	$10.035 trillion (4th)
• Per capita	$159,371.04 (1st)
GDP (nominal)	2023 estimate
• Total	$12.544 trillion (4th)
• Per capita	$199,220.60 (1st)
Gini (2023)	0.14 low (1st)
HDI (2023)	0.992 very high (1st)
Currency	Deseret Dollar ($)
Date format	dd.mm.yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+1
ISO 3166 code	DZ
Internet TLD	.dz

Deseret, officially called the Democratic States of Deseret (DSD), is a country located in the western area of North America. It is comprised of 13 states and borders the United States of America to the north and east and Mexico to the south. Deseret has a population of 62 million, making it the third most populous country in North America. The capital of Great Salt Lake City was one of the first settlements founded in the Salt Lake Valley, while the most populous city of Los Angeles was one of the first settlements established within Deseret's current borders. Deseret is currently the only nation with a matriarchal society, with women holding political, social, and economic power.

Deseret has been inhabited by indigenous Americans for several millennia. The first European expeditions were done by the Spanish in the mid 16th century, while permanent Spanish settlements were established in modern-day Columbia, including Los Angeles (1781) and San Diego (1769). Amid intense religious persecution and government-sanctioned mob violence in the United States throughout the 1830s-40s, Latter-day Saints pioneers settled modern-day New Israel and Utah, branching out into California, Arizona, Ephraim, and Mojave. Spanish and Latter-day Saint influences contributed greatly to the general culture of Deseret throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, although the nation has since become more diverse and secular.

Deseret experienced an economic and social shift in the 1910s and 20s towards socialism and social acceptance. These, combined with already existing and further religious influence, have led to extremely high levels of state ownership and involvement in the economy and personal lives as the government seeks to keep people equal and accepting of one another. Deseret has the highest level of income equality in the world and one of the highest standards of living.

Deseret has had extraordinary population growth throughout its history, thanks to high immigration rates in the west during the California Gold Rush from 1848-1855, immigration due to the Latter-day Saint community throughout the country, and high birth rates. Although the birth rate has dropped in recent years, Deseret continues to attract large amounts of immigrants due to liberal social and economic policies, particularly from Latin America, Africa, and the United States. Thanks to immigration surges and government policy, Deseret has become one of the most socially-accepting and economically equal countries in the world. With growing secularism since the 1950s and more liberal politics and philosophy, the role of religion in society and government has been downgraded significantly. Despite its founding principles on conservative Christianity, Deseret is one of the most secular and progressive nations in the world, employing several left-wing ideas including socialism, reversed gender roles, and matriarchy.

The Deseret government is a federal social democracy, with three separate branches of government. It has had a unicameral national legislature since 2022, replacing the previous bicameral Congress. Many policy issues were once decentralized, with laws differing between states, but have recently become more centralized. Deseret ranks extremely high in international measures of quality of life, income equality, human rights, innovation, healthcare, and education, with one of the most liberal and robust social-safety and public-owned systems in the world, ranking 1st in terms of both HDI and the Gini coefficient. Deseret is one of the world's foremost leaders in science and healthcare innovation, especially engineering, agriculture, and biology, is one of the most environmentally-friendly nations in the world, and is at the forefront of new social, environmental, and economic research, with government policy seeking to establish social, racial, sexual, environmental, and economic justice and equity.

Etymology

The word Deseret (/dɛzəˈrɛt/ (listen)) is derived from the Book of Mormon in Ether 2:3, from the Jaredite language meaning "honeybee." Honeybees are a symbol of industry and community, representing hard work and communalism. From 1848 to 1983 the term "Theodemocratic" was used, being replaced by "Democratic." Joseph Smith first coined the term "theodemocracy," which is a democratic or republican form of government where the ultimate authority is recognized as coming from God and where the people are given authority to rule in morality, justice, and righteousness. Latter-day Saints believe that after the Second Coming of Christ, a theodemocratic government will rule.

Several suggestions for naming the country were considered, although all serious contenders included the name 'Deseret.' These included the United States of Deseret, with inspiration taken directly from the United States of America, and the Theodemocracy of Deseret. However, in an effort to distinguish themselves from the United States, while still paying homage to their American culture, several high-ranking officials within the Church merged both ideas into the Theodemocratic States of Deseret, which included both the federal (secular) and religious (theological) structures of the national government. The federal government has since clarified that there are no religious influences or traditions in government or public sectors, with the Democratic States of Deseret being the official name of the country since 1983.

Government and politics

Federal government

Minority rights and powers

Latter-day Saints were repeatedly threatened and harassed by often government-sanctioned mobs and militias, who drove the Church from Ohio, to Missouri, to Illinois, then outside the borders of the U.S. to the Great Salt Lake. These experiences, along with key elements of Joseph Smith's 1844 presidential platform, were the founding principles behind the strong laws in Deseret regarding minorities and are known as minority philosophy. Under this ideology, the federal government is granted broad powers on the basis of protecting minority rights: including compensation for grievances, overriding state laws and orders that are targeted or harmful toward specific groups, presidential control of state militias, and the power to set up exclusive zones and reservations for specific minority groups.

The executive is given the most power to deal with minority rights and protections. The president has the power to seize direct control over and disband state militia units, to override laws passed by state legislatures and executive orders from governors, to issue writs of habeas corpus, to set up temporary zones of refuge for specific groups under direct federal jurisdiction, and to convene the Citizens Assembly to pursue further action against all involved parties. These presidential powers are known as emergency powers and are given when the president decides that those powers must be used for the benefit of besieged groups under immediate harm. The legislature is given power to issue compensation for past grievances and to establish permanent federal districts for specific minority groups to live, under the direct control of the Assembly and the president. The legislature also becomes a court by having the power to summon parties participating in the infringement of minority rights and to charge them with insubordination, treason, insurrection, or defiance of constitutional law.

Economy

Basic living standards

The federal government seeks to provide residents with all basic living requirements for free, including food, water, housing, electricity, and internet access. Residents receive a monthly allowance of $450 per adult and $600 per child for approved food and some other necessary items. All purchases for non-approved food and over the monthly allowance are deducted from the personal accounts of residents. Any money not spent during the month is returned to the treasury and redistributed. Water, electricity (for home use), and internet access are all provided for free through publicly-owned utility companies. Electricity for vehicles must be paid for by residents themselves.

Housing units are constructed by the government and given, or freely "rented," to residents through an application process. The government chooses a plot of land to construct housing and releases necessary information to the public (concept, floor plans, square footage, etc.). Applications can then be submitted for housing at any time during the construction process. Due to the large number of applications received for housing, various factors are looked at when deciding which applicants to accept, including marital and family status, minority status, occupation, age, application length, current and previous housing, and location.

Demographics

Population

The Census Bureau collects data and tabulated total population statistics every quarter, alongside its more in-depth decennial census. The Census Bureau reported an estimate of 64,012,407 inhabitants as of 1 April 2023. In 2023 the population has increased by about eight people per minute, or one every 15 seconds. In 2023, 31% of Deseretians age 16 and over were in a monogamous marriage, 5% were in a polygamous marriage, 38% were in a non-marital monogamous relationship, 2% were in a non-marital polygamous relationship, 4% were widowed, 3% were divorced, and 17% had never been in or were formally in a marital or non-marital relationship. The total fertility rate is currently 1.86 children per woman. 16% of children live in single-parent homes.

Deseret is incredibly diverse, with dozens of ancestry groups with over 1 million members. White Deseretians with ancestry from Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa, form the largest racial and ethnic group at 42.41% of the population. Hispanic and Latinx Deseretians form the second-largest group at 21.68% of the population. Africans constitute the nation's third-largest ancestry group at 9.09% of the population. Asians are the fourth-largest group at 7.27% of the population, Native Americans are the fifth-largest, composing 3.78% of the population, and Pacific Islanders account for 2.06% of the total population. 8.48% of Deseretians were two or more races and 5.23% were another race.

Language

A variety of languages are spoken in Deseret, with English being the most spoken first language, followed by Spanish, both of which are official languages. English and Spanish are both regularly taught and used interchangeably in schools, with teachers required to be bilingual in both, leading to high bilingual rates. Classes in other languages, such as Chinese, Arabic, German, and Polynesian languages, are required in high school. Approximately 38 million people speak primarily English at home and 11 million speak primarily Spanish. 98% of the population are at least bilingual, 91% know at least three languages, 68% know at least four or more languages, and 31% know at least five or more languages; the most known secondary languages are Spanish, English, Mandarin, and Arabic; tertiary languages are Chinese (known by 22% of tertiary speakers), Arabic (20%), Spanish (18%), English (18%), and French (12%); fourth-languages are Arabic (20%), Japanese (17%), French (13%), Hawaiian (10%), Vietnamese (8%), German (8%), and Spanish (8%). Fifth languages are Japanese (20%), French (12%), Hawaiian (12%), German (10%), Vietnamese (8%), and Arabic (7%).

Spanish is spoken more than English in five states: Arizona, Baja California, California, Mojave, and Sonora. Three states have official languages other than English and Spanish: Columbia (Mandarin), New Israel (Arabic), and South Madison (Japanese, Vietnamese, Arabic, and Mandarin). California has the most diverse language usage, while Utah has the least diverse. All laws and other public records are published in 36 languages including English, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, Vietnamese, Russian, German, French, Norwegian, and several Polynesian languages.

Religion

Self-identified religious affiliation in Deseret by major group (2023)

  Christian (17.46%)

  Other (8.22%)

  Athiest (70.90%)

  Agnostic (3.42%)

While initially rooted in Christian tradition and history, Deseret has become more religiously diverse, neutral, and secular. A fifth of Deseretians currently identify as Christian, while roughly two-thirds identify as non-religious or atheist. Less than a third of the population professes a belief in a higher power. The increase in atheism is primarily due to increased immigration, more liberal and secular social policies, and the general trend toward irreligion in Western countries. Since 2020, Christian churches have lost a combined nearly 1.2 million adherents, with most emigrating out of Deseret or becoming irreligious.

Latter-day Saint and general Christian influence was strong in the 19th and early 20th centuries, contributing to public policy and the general culture. Since then, however, religious neutrality and irreligion have taken precedence in policymaking and society. In 2020, only about 18% of residents described themselves as being "very active" in religious activities, while 13% attended weekly religious services. The most active religious groups are Latter-day Saints, Muslims, Jews, and some Protestant Christian groups. The single largest denomination is the United Methodist Church (2.8 million), followed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church (2.6 million), and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (2.5 million).

Of the nearly 19.9 million self-identified religious Deseretians, 34% believe in a female deity or deities, while 48% believe in a genderless, genderfluid, or bigender deity or deities. This includes 21% of Christians, who view their deity as feminine, and 65% who view their deity as being genderless, genderfuild, or bigender.

Sexuality

Self-identified sexuality and gender (2023)

  Lesbian (4.26%)

  Gay (4.03%)

  Bisexual (4.84%)

  Trans Female (7.37%)

  Trans Male (4.31%)

  Intersex/Agender (0.17%)

  Other (0.62%)

  Straight/Cis Female (38.92%)

  Straight/Cis Male (35.48%)

As of the 2020 decennial census members of the LGBTQIA+ Community comprised 15.42% of the population. It is estimated that as of 1 January 2023, the LGBTQIA+ Community comprised 25.6% of the population, or 16,119,686 individuals. This dramatic increase in the LGBTQIA+ population is the result of more people coming out and increased immigration; which are both primarily the result of two reasons:

First, the strong public acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ Community. A recent poll by the Census Bureau found that, in 2022, 92% of the population supported same-sex marriage, while 87% held a favorable view of the LGBTQIA+ Community overall. As society has moved more toward total acceptance and inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ Community, more people have felt comfortable publicly and privately expressing themselves and identifying as LGBTQIA+. In past years, such as the recent decennial census, many who identified as LGBTQIA+ felt afraid or threatened of making known, even in anonymous surveys, their identity.

Second, constitutionally protected rights including same-sex marriage, gender/sex-transitioning, and other LGBTQIA+ rights have meant that LGBTQIA+ individuals have had greater ease and comfort in making known their identity and in making their own private choices. Strong legal protections have, much like public acceptance, led to more LGBTQIA+ individuals expressing themselves and making known their identity and have led to the immigration of LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Education

Main page: Education in Deseret

All education is public and funded and operated by the federal government. Residents are required to attend 12 years of primary education from ages 4-16 (1-12), with universal preschool and childcare available for ages 0-3. School types are broken down into elementary (1-4), junior high (5-8), and high schools (9-12), with classes designated as freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Of residents 16 and older, 98.6% have at least a high school diploma, 97.5% attended at least 2 years of college, university, or trade school, 94.1% have at least a bachelor's degree, and 80.7% have earned graduate degrees.

Culture and society

Religion and liberalism

Deseret balanced religion (traditionally viewed as conservative) with progressive social and economic policies in the 19th century. This was usually done by putting provisions in more-liberal laws that would respect religious freedom and conservative ideas. More recently, however, the government has taken a more active approach to getting religions to conform to more progressive ideology. Since 2021, the license to operate a church in Deseret was amended to include provisions that the church must follow government policy, including positions such as same-sex marriage, female ordination, and abortion. In 2022, 87% of the public believed religions and churches should at least follow progressive ideas, 82% believed that churches should at least conform to government policy, and 72% supported religious organizations being forced to comply with government policy.

Sexuality

Deseret has embraced more progressive and public forms and displays of sexuality since the turn of the mid 20th century, with focus being on sexual liberation and normalization. Pornography has become more socially acceptable and commonplace, while regulation keeps the industry free of minors, sex trafficking, and rape, and out of the hands of minors without parental consent. Sexually-explicit content in movies, shows, games, and advertising has become normal across the nation, especially in more urban areas, while public nudity (which is heavily regulated and restricted) has slightly increased in certain allowed areas. Mandatory sex education is taught in schools while contraceptives and birth control (such as condoms and abortion pills) are provided for free at most public institutions such as healthcare centers, parks, schools, and specialized birth control stations and centers.

The age of consent and marital ages are tied to the age of adulthood, which is currently 16. Rape is heavily punished, with Deseret maintaining one of the lowest rape rates in the world. Marriage rates have decreased while cohabitation and living alone have become commonplace. Sexual relations outside of marriage (including both in and out of relationships) are socially accepted and commonplace; extramarital affairs are still frowned upon, but have increased slightly among less-religious Deseretians.

Sports and contests

The most popular spectator sports are baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball and ice hockey. The market for professional sports in Deseret is small, especially when compared to the United States, but still maintains widespread popularity. Large-scale popular professional sports include soccer, volleyball, and baseball. The Deseret Soccer Association, National Women's Volleyball League, the National Basketball League, and the Deseret Baseball League brought in $18.4 billion in 2020. Soccer is the highest-attended sport in the country, followed by baseball, basketball, and volleyball. The most popular individual sports include golf and tennis.

Deseret has hosted four Olympic Games and is scheduled to host the 2030 Winter Olympics in Great Salt Lake City. The 1964 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles were the first to be held in the country and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Great Salt Lake City were the most recently held. Deseret has hosted the FIFA World Cup twice, first in 1982 and most recently in 2018, and the FIFA Women's World Cup two times in 1995 and 2007, and will host the 2027 World Cup.