2021 Fall Citizen Research Results

Today, the 2021 Fall Quality of Life and Citizen Satisfaction Survey results were presented to Council alongside findings from other recently conducted corporate research. Overall perceptions about the quality of life in Calgary have remained stable since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and perceptions of Calgary being a ‘great place to make a living’ have increased since Fall 2020.

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 the results of additional corporate research including the Calgary Attitudes & Outlook Survey which focuses on attitudes and opinions of young adult Calgarians, Diversity and Inclusion Survey, Economic Perspectives Survey results, and the latest COVID-19 Snapshot.

Fall Citizen Research Highlights

• Perceptions about the quality of life in Calgary have remained stable as 80% of Calgarians say the quality of life in Calgary today is ‘good’, similar to Fall 2020 (79%).

• Perceptions that Calgary is a great place to make a living (67%) have increased since Fall 2020 (58%). Most Calgarians also agree that Calgary is a great place to make a life (77%), identical to Fall 2020 (77%).

• Three-quarters (76%) of Calgarians agree that Calgary is on the right track to being a better city 10 years from now, up from Fall 2020 (70%).

• Issues identified as needing the most attention from local leaders are infrastructure, traffic and roads (29%), similar to Fall 2020 (28%); followed by crime, safety and policing (14%), consistent with Fall 2020 (15%), and; “transit” (14%), similar to Fall 2020 (12%).

• Seven-in-ten (70%) Calgarians agree that ‘The City of Calgary municipal government fosters a city that is inclusive and accepting of all’, similar to Fall 2020 (72%).

• More than two-thirds (68%) of residents are satisfied with the overall level and quality of City services and programs, consistent with measures in Fall 2020 (67%).

• Slightly more than one-half (55%) of Calgarians give The City a ‘good value’ rating for the value of their property tax dollars, on par with Fall 2020 (53%), with citizens divided on whether increasing taxes (50%) or cutting services (43%) would be preferred as a result of increasing costs.

• When asked a new question in this year’s survey, more than two-thirds (68%) of Calgarians agree ‘we need to act now to address climate change’.

• Among those who contacted The City in the past 12 months, 66% are satisfied with the overall sevel and quality of customer service. A strong majority (84%) agree that ‘The City of Calgary meets my customer service expectations’, identical to Fall 2020 (84%).

• Trust in The City has remained stable with one-half (50%) of Calgarians saying they trust The City, similar to Fall 2020 (48%). Two-thirds (66%) of Calgarians believe that ‘City Council and City Administration work collaboratively to make the best possible decisions for the future of Calgary’, identical to Fall 2020 (66%).

• In the latest COVID Snapshot Survey, more than two-thirds (68%) of Calgarians are satisfied with The City’s response to COVID-19. The 2021 Citizen Satisfaction Survey was conducted by Ipsos in partnership with The City. The sample size was 2,500 randomly selected Calgarians who completed the telephone survey between August 16 and September 4, 2021. The sample consisted of both cell phones and landlines. The margin of error is +/- 2.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The COVID-19 Snapshot #12 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 October 6 and 17, 2021. 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.

Additional research results presented to Council include reports that highlight the views of 18-24year olds, and the opinions of all Calgarians related to diversity and inclusion, as well as the economy. The detailed findings of all research included in the 2021 Fall Citizen Research Results presentation to Council are available online at calgary.ca/CitizenSatisfaction.

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