Calgarians are feeling financial stress: report

Many still rate quality of life high, and arts scene is well regarded

Almost three-quarters of Calgarians experience stress due to personal finances, the latest Vital Signs report indicates.

The Calgary Foundation report, released today, also shows 52 per cent of Calgary residents struggle to afford basic necessities like food and shelter. The study features expert research and the results of a citizen survey that included 2,236 people.

Taylor Barrie, Calgary Foundation vice-president of communications, said the report shows many Calgarians are stressed and struggling to find meaningful employment.

“A lot of us don’t feel we have an opportunity to really grow our career,” she said. “And over half of us are struggling to afford just the basic necessities of food, shelter, clothing. So that trend has been there for a couple of years now.”

Barrie said when the foundation first got the survey results, something that stood out to her were conversations about belonging, equity and equality.

“There’s still a lot of Calgarians who don’t feel safe, or they feel threatened because of the colour of their skin or their religious affiliation or their sexual orientation,” she said. “And we’re feeling that and seeing that all over the world right now. We’re becoming increasingly polarized, but obviously that’s being felt at a local level as well.”

The report indicates 28 per cent of survey respondents “often or sometimes feel uncomfortable because of our religion, ethnicity, skin colour, culture, language, accent, gender or sexual orientation.”

However, this year’s study also contains positive news, Barrie said. For example, 69 per cent of those surveyed feel quality of life in the city is good or excellent, and 68 per cent think the city is a great place to raise children.

“People are rating their quality of life quite high,” she said. “They feel like Calgary is a great place to raise their kids. If you are a senior in our city, you also have a really high quality of life, and you have a really strong sense of belonging … We’re doing really well when it comes to our arts scene. Calgarians really celebrate arts events, festivals.”

But other concerns identified in the survey include findings that half of Calgarians feel unable to access timely mental health care.

“Some issues that seem to come up every year are things like mental health, and Calgarians feeling like they don’t have access to mental health care in a timely manner,” said Barrie. “So even if they know where to go, that they’re not getting it when they need it.”

The report also indicates that 64 per cent of respondents

Some issues that seem to come up every year are things like mental health.

are concerned about the level of poverty here, and only 26 per cent believe seniors have access to affordable housing.

Barrie said Calgary’s Vital Signs report, which is now in its 13th year, is a good resource for both Calgarians and for the hundreds of the charities that the Calgary Foundation supports.

“I hope that Calgarians, if they have an issue that comes to the surface reading this report that they feel strongly about, that they care about, that they can learn about the organizations working in that space and maybe get involved in making a difference,” she said.

The Calgary organization is one of 30 community foundations across the country that issue a Vital Signs report during the same week each year.

The survey included a sample of 1,007 Calgarians, who were randomly selected with demographic quotas for age, gender, and quadrant of the city to ensure an accurate representation of the population.

The sample was drawn from a panel of more than 20,000 citizens. In addition, 1,229 online survey participants were engaged through Calgary Foundation’s website, social and traditional media, and outreach.

The margin of error is plus or minus 3 per cent, 19 times out of 20, based on a probability sample of 2,236.