Calgary,
09
November
2020
|
09:50
America/Denver

2020 Citizen Satisfaction Survey results are in

The Fall 2020 Citizen Satisfaction Survey results are in and, as expected, citizen opinions and attitudes have been predictably altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. As many Calgarians are facing uncertainty, we are not surprised to see citizens rate their quality of life in Calgary as slightly lower than last year. Despite this, Calgarians continue to consider Calgary "a great place to make a life" at levels consistent with Fall 2019.

The City conducts the annual Citizen Satisfaction Survey to gather citizens’ views and perceptions about City programs and services. Findings from these surveys provide a performance-based report for Council, Administration and the public. Tracking citizens’ perceptions over time allows for benchmarking against the previous years’ findings.

The City is also releasing results of the latest snapshot surveys with a focus on COVID-19, as well as the results of from our new Calgary Attitudes and Outlook Survey, which focuses on attitudes and opinions of young adult Calgarians.

Fall 2020 Citizen Research Highlights

  • Although perceptions about the quality of life in Calgary remain strong, the Fall 2020 survey results tell us perceptions are slightly lower than this time last year.
  • Most Calgarians agree that Calgary is a great place to make a life (77%), on par with last year. However, fewer people believe Calgary is a great place to make a living (58%) than Fall 2019 (63%). And, while most citizens agree Calgary is on the right track to being a better city 10 years from now (70%), this is down from Fall 2019 (76%).
  • Satisfaction with The City’s COVID-19 response remains consistent over the six snapshots with most Calgarians saying they’re satisfied with the response (86%), general agreement that the response has been helpful (86%) and quick enough (81%). Support for the Face Coverings Bylaw also remains strong (86%).
  • The majority of Calgarians are satisfied with each of the 35 services and programs included in the survey.
  • The issue identified as needing the most attention from local leaders is “infrastructure, traffic and roads” (28%), followed by “crime, safety and policing” (15%), and taxes (13%). The COVID-19 pandemic also appeared on the Issue Agenda this fall (11%).
  • The perceived value of property tax has remained stable as more than half of Calgarians (53%) say they receive “good value” for their tax dollars, consistent with Fall 2019. Calgarians’ interest in knowing how their tax dollars are invested also remains high (92%).
  • Citizen perception about The City’s quality of customer service remains strong (81%), identical to Fall 2019. Calgarians also feel The City makes customer service a priority (80%), on par with Fall 2019.
  • Seven-in-ten (69%) Calgarians agree that Calgary needs to address racism and discrimination, which is higher among young adults (82%) than those aged 25 and older (68%).
  • Trust has fallen with roughly one-half (48%) of Calgarians saying they trust The City, down from Fall 2019 (52%). Despite lower trust ratings in general, the majority of Calgarians (67%) trust The City regarding its COVID-19 response.
  • Two-thirds (66%) of Calgarians believe that Council and City Administration work collaboratively to make the best possible decisions for the future of Calgary, identical to Fall 2019. Almost three-quarters (73%) of Calgarians also agree that The City practices open and accessible government, on par with Fall 2019.

The 2020 Citizen Satisfaction Survey was conducted by Ipsos in partnership with The City. The sample size was 2,500 randomly selected people who completed the telephone survey between August 17 and September 6, 2020. The sample consisted of both cell phones and landlines. The margin of error is +/- 2.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The Calgary Attitudes & Outlook Survey was conducted by Ipsos in partnership with The City. The sample size for this survey was 769 people selected through online panels, including 369 aged 18-24. This online survey was completed between August 20 and September 8, 2020. A margin of error cannot be stated for this survey as it was conducted online.

The COVID-19 Snapshot #6 Survey was conducted by Leger in partnership with The City. The sample size for this survey was 500 randomly selected people who completed the telephone survey between September 28 and October 8, 2020. The survey sample consisted of both cell phones and landlines. The margin of error is +/- 4.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

All surveys were conducted in accordance with The City’s competitive bid process.

The City conducts research initiatives and engagement activities throughout the year, many of which are dedicated to dimensions of service delivery and service value to citizens. Calgarians are encouraged to sign up for Citizens’ View, Calgary’s online panel to have their say on City programs and services at citizensview.ca.

The detailed findings of the 2020 Fall Quality of Life and Citizen Satisfaction Survey, along with additional recently released City research, is available at calgary.ca/CitizenSatisfaction.