One-third of Calgarians feel quality of life sliding, survey says

One in three Calgarians believe the quality of life in Calgary has gotten worse in the past three years.

That’s according to the city’s annual Citizen Satisfaction Survey, released Tuesday.

The telephone survey quizzed 2,500 Calgarians about their satisfaction with the city and found 79 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the level and quality of city programs and services.

“I’m happy to report that even in these difficult economic times, perceptions about the quality of life in Calgary remain very strong, satisfaction with city programs and services remain very high,” Mayor Naheed Nenshi said Tuesday.

“There’s no doubt people are feeling the pain about the downturn, though they’re still happy with the value they receive for their city services.”

A total of 65 per cent of respondents said they believe Calgary is a great place to make a living, down from 80 per cent in the 2015 survey. Although 83 per cent of respondents stated their quality of life is good, some quality of life metrics declined significantly this year.

When asked the open-ended question of what could the city do to improve the quality of life, the top two responses were to improve job creation/employment and reduce taxes.

There’s no doubt people are feeling the pain about the downturn, though they’re still happy with the value they receive for their city services.