CALGARY – While most Calgarians agree they enjoy a good quality of life, a growing number feel the quality of life in Calgary has decreased over the past two years, according to The City’s 2024 Fall Research Results.
“Calgarians have shared with us what matters most to them about their city and their concerns,” says Chief Administrative Officer David Duckworth.
“Through the recent fall survey, Calgarians identified infrastructure, economy, housing, safety and transit as their top civic priorities. We have heard this loud and clear. Our work continues to focus on these priorities as well as address concerns and feedback across all survey results.”
Calgarians’ Priorities Heard
The bi-annual survey of Calgarians starts with a crucial question: What is the most pressing issue in our community, the one that local leaders should prioritize? In response, Calgarians identified their issues:
· 35 per cent prioritized infrastructure, traffic and roads, which historically has held top priority
· 18 per cent prioritized economy
· 17 per cent prioritized poverty and affordable housing
· 13 per cent prioritized water supply and water infrastructure
· 12 per cent prioritized zoning and growth
Both “water supply and infrastructure” and “zoning and growth” are new priorities to Calgarians’ issue agenda within the bi-annual survey in direct reference to the Bearspaw South feeder main break and the discussions regarding development and rezoning.
Notably, three key issues saw significant positive movement from fall 2023: perceptions of safety, transit and housing, saw decreases in issue prioritization, and all are key Council Priority areas that saw new investment over the past two years.
“This movement highlights the impact we have on improving services for Calgarians, when we invest and dedicate resources towards a priority,” says Duckworth. “When we compare these five priorities with upcoming budget adjustment recommendations and other initiatives, I’m confident City Administration will continue to take action on what matters most to Calgarians.”
As echoed in other recent studies, quality of life and other key measures within Calgary have seen continued declines since the end of the pandemic, with 66 per cent of Calgarians now agreeing that quality of life in their city is good. This represents a significant decline from the same time last year and an all-time low.
Trust, Satisfaction & Taxes
While Calgarians show optimism on a number of issues, including the economy, many indicate concern about their future and the future of their city. Inflation, affordability, social disorder, climate, and increased political and social divisions have all introduced greater uncertainty into the lives of Calgarians.
The number of Calgarians reporting trust in The City is 41 per cent, five per cent lower than this time last year.
“Governments are operating in a time when building trust and reputation is more challenging than ever,” says Krista Ring, Manager, Web, Research & Projects, Customer Service & Communications. “Through both local and national research, we see how eroding social cohesion and misinformation are impacting perceptions of trust across all levels of government.”
Although satisfaction with the overall quality and level of services provided by The City remains positive at 63 per cent, it represents a six per cent drop from this time last year.
· While quality of life decreased, Calgarians’ perceptions of Calgary being a great place to make a life and a great place to make a living are stable compared to spring 2024 at 70 per cent and 63 per cent, respectively.
· Calgarians maintain a more optimistic outlook on economy than in many previous years: 57 per cent rate the current economy as “good” in Calgary, a significant 9-point jump from March 2024.
· As well, 61 per cent say Calgary is on the right track to be a better city 10 years from now, a nine per cent drop from fall 2023.
Calgarians continue to question the value they receive for their tax dollars and are less likely to trust Council and Administration to make decisions that reflect their priorities, compared to municipalities of similar size in Canada.
· Forty-three per cent of Calgarians agree they receive good value for tax dollars, seven per cent lower than this time last year.
· When it comes to balancing taxation and service delivery, results indicate divided views on tax increases and service cuts. Forty-six per cent favour an increase in taxes to maintain or expand service levels, while 45 per cent favour cutting taxes to maintain or reduce service levels.
National Benchmarks
As part of the fall 2024 results, Municipal Benchmarking shows how Calgary performs compared to the “municipal norm,” which is an average of Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Montreal.
· While perception of quality of life within Calgary continues to trend lower than previous biannual surveys, Calgarians generally express higher or on par satisfaction with their quality of life and other measures compared to the municipal norm.
· When compared to other major municipalities in benchmarking, there are fewer residents in Calgary that want taxes increased to expand or maintain services, and more Calgarians who want services cut.
· Calgary remains one of the most affordable cities in Canada for property tax when comparing the median single residential property and remains one of the most livable cities globally, as demonstrated by international rankings and reports.
Continued Commitment
Research is one of many ways that The City engages with Calgarians, providing key inputs into the municipal decision-making process; tracking performance measures and trends; as well as identifying issues and opportunities for improvement in municipal government.
“Our bi-annual surveys provide an important lens into what is most important to Calgarians,” says Ring. “And by making results available to everyone, we demonstrate our commitment to accountability, transparency and building a better city.”
· The bi-annual survey is The City’s largest representative survey with 2,500 Calgarians consulted via telephone by Ipsos Research.
· Calgarians were surveyed during August and early September 2024, concurrent to The City’s feeder main issue.
· Responses were weighted to be representative of Calgary’s population, ensuring equitable distribution of responses according to age, gender, and quadrant.
The 2024 Fall Research Results will be presented to Calgary City Council on October 29, 2024, and will be available at calgary.ca/insights.
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