Calgarians show increased trust & optimism in spring research results

The City has completed its Spring Survey of Calgarians and 2025 Spring Research Results are now available to the public, prior to the presentation to City Council on May 27, 2025.

Overall, results show notable increases in perception of quality of life and trust, a change in several downward trends seen in recent years. Most Calgarians continue to express satisfaction with the overall quality of services they receive and are more optimistic about the future of our city 10 years from now. And despite continued economic and social pressures, the spring research results see key measures for The City of Calgary either holding or improving.

“We are pleased to see Calgarians express increased optimism and trust in their municipal government,” says Chief Administrative Officer David Duckworth. “Through our bi-annual surveys and other research, Calgarians continue to share with us what matters most to them about their city.”

“With so many national and international concerns facing Calgarians, it’s encouraging to see key indicators about local government improve,” says Duckworth. “The results indicate that The City is aligned and accountable to Calgarians on many of our priorities and investments. We will continue to listen and deliver the things that are important to the people in our city.”

Trust in Calgary’s municipal government is improving

Trust in Calgary’s municipal government increased 11 per cent since fall 2024; this marks a significant increase from an all-time low of 38 per cent in spring 2024.

With 52 per cent of Calgarians now expressing trust in The City, more Calgarians are optimistic about City accountability and decision-making that reflects their priorities and values. The City will continue to focus on what matters most to Calgarians to build trust through demonstrating value for tax dollars.

Reflective of increased trust, positive perceptions of how City Council and Administration run our city improved 10 per cent, rising to 63 per cent in spring 2025 from 53 per cent in fall 2024.
Three in four Calgarians (74 per cent) agree information received from The City is trustworthy.
Distrust in The City decreased to 22 per cent, down from fall 2024 (30 per cent) and spring 2024 (32 per cent).

“That trust in The City increased 14 per cent in a single year is remarkable and not something that we’ve ever seen before,” says Krista Ring, Manager, Web, Research & Projects, Customer Service & Communications.

“While heightened Canadian patriotism may be contributing to improved perceptions of local government, the results indicate that Calgarians’ trust is largely driven by satisfaction with how The City is being run, perception of our programs and services, and the integrity of City operations to do what it says.”

Consistent with improved optimism found within the research results, Calgarians’ perception of quality-of-life increased by eight per cent since fall 2024, reversing a downward trend that began in fall 2022.

After regaining more than half of the decrease since 2022 in a single survey period, 74 per cent of Calgarians surveyed now say that “quality of life is good” in spring 2025, up from 66 per cent in fall 2024.
61 per cent rate the current economy in Calgary as “good,” an 11-point increase since fall 2024.

Services meet expectations; Calgarians see value for taxes

Spring research results indicate City services largely meet Calgarians’ expectations. Satisfaction with City services is on par with the previous year, suggesting that Calgarians continue to see the value they receive for their tax dollar, and The City's efforts to maintain service quality have been effective.

More than three-fifths (63 per cent) of Calgarians are satisfied with the overall performance of The City, including both Council and Administration, an increase from fall 2024 (53 per cent) and spring 2024 (59 per cent).
City services continue to meet Calgarians' expectations, with the majority of services achieving satisfaction ratings of 80 per cent or more.
Similarly, the spring 2025 results show notably higher satisfaction rates with the way The City is being run. More than three-fifths (63 per cent) of Calgarians are satisfied with the overall performance of Council and Administration, a notable increase from fall 2024 (53 per cent).

Calgarians’ perceptions of the value they receive for their tax dollar has improved and there is an increased preference for maintaining or expanding services.

Perceived value of municipal property tax dollars increased slightly to 46 per cent from 44 per cent over the last year. This represents a gradual reversal of a downward trend in recent years.
51 per cent favour increasing taxes to maintain or expand services – up six per cent – versus 41 per cent of Calgarians that would prefer to cut services to maintain or reduce taxes.
Perception of value for taxes is primarily driven by Calgarians’ view of where the city is headed in the next ten years, their assessment of City performance and quality of life.

Key priorities stable; Calgarians remain optimistic about the future

Calgarians continue to identify infrastructure, homelessness, and crime as key priorities for local leaders. While these issues remain aligned with City investments in public safety, transportation and housing, there have been slight shifts since 2024:

Infrastructure, traffic and roads remains the most frequently mentioned issue, with 33 per cent of Calgarians identifying it as a top concern up significantly from spring 2024 (29 per cent).
19 per cent prioritized homelessness, poverty and affordable housing. This continues to be the second most cited issue of concern for Calgarians with a 5 per cent drop from spring 2024 (24 per cent).
18 per cent prioritized crime, safety and policing, a slight decrease from spring 2024 (22 per cent).
14 per cent prioritized growth and planning, increased from spring 2024 (10 per cent).
14 per cent prioritized transit which is down from spring 2024 (17 per cent).
Recreation also gained prominence among Calgarians (10 per cent) from fall 2024, suggesting public support for plans and initiatives that would enhance access to these services.

Despite concerns about the U.S. tariffs on Calgary’s economy and their own financial situation, a majority of Calgarians remain optimistic about the future of our city, representing a seven-point increase from fall 2024.

Calgarians are significantly more optimistic about Calgary’s economy, with 61 per cent rating it as “good,” the highest since spring 2023.
In two new questions, 87 per cent of Calgarians surveyed expressed concern about the impact of tariffs on Calgary's economy and 73 per cent are concerned about the impact of tariffs on their personal financial situation.

City research provides accountability & transparency

The results of this representative, third-party survey, coupled with additional research, provide City Council with insights into Calgarians’ opinions on a range of issues, including satisfaction with services, quality of life and future outlook.

As one of the only cities in Canada to conduct biannual surveys on government performance and public sentiment, The City’s public research results also help provide ongoing accountability and transparency to Calgarians, while identifying strengths and opportunities for improvement.

The 2025 Spring Survey was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs from February 27, 2025 to March 24, 2025 with 2,500 Calgarians, via telephone. The survey was conducted using numbers from both cell phones (60 per cent) and landlines (40 per cent) to obtain a random and statistically representative sample of Calgarians with a margin of error ± 2.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The 2025 Spring Survey of Calgarians report as well as other research can be found at Calgary.ca/insights. The presentation will be available on May 27.

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