Calgarians’ Quality of Life Improves, But Trust in Council and Taxes Declines, Survey Reveals

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Residents of Calgary are becoming increasingly hopeful about the city’s prospects and their personal well-being, as indicated by the most recent citizen satisfaction survey conducted by the city.

The City of

Calgary

carries out two yearly surveys, one in autumn and another in spring, with the

latest spring results

launched on Thursday demonstrating favorable outcomes compared to merely six months prior.

The survey indicates that close to three-quarters, or 74 percent, of Calgarians perceive their general quality of life as positive. This represents an eight-percent improvement compared to the previous autumn’s findings.

Approximately seven out of every ten Calgarians believe that Calgary is an excellent location to build a life, with 66 percent feeling it is a great place to pursue career opportunities.

There has been an increase of seven percent in optimism regarding Calgary’s future since autumn, with 68 percent of participants believing the city is heading in the right direction to become a more desirable place over the next decade.

According to the survey, three-quarters, which is equivalent to 75 percent, of Calgary residents consider their city to be safe.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek informed journalists that the data indicates a consistent and notable increase in public trust within our municipality.

In total, 61 percent of participants reported being content with the standard and caliber of services and initiatives offered by the City of Calgary. However, fewer than half, specifically 46 percent, of Calgarians believe they receive adequate value from their property tax contributions.

Coun. Courtney Walcott from Ward 8 stated to journalists that he believes this will remain a perpetual challenge for us, particularly considering the scale of our organization.

We need to reinforce this approach so that everyone understands precisely how their money is being spent and can observe the impact in their daily routines.

Councillor Dan McLean from Ward 13 expressed satisfaction with the outcomes; however, he believes that reducing taxes is the sole approach to enhance how Calgarians perceive the worth of their money.

“The main point is to ensure that taxes remain low,” he stated.

Based on the survey, infrastructure, traffic, and roads were still the topics raised most often, closely trailed by homelessness and public safety. Coming fifth were concerns about transit along with growth and planning for Calgarians.

The most significant increase observed since autumn was in trust towards the City of Calgary, reaching a five-year peak of 52 percent, an uptick from 41 percent in the previous fall survey.

Gondek stated that she thinks this number is directly due to the continuous efforts by the City of Calgary and city council since last year’s water main break, along with increasing affordability concerns.

Gondek stated that this indicates Calgarians felt confident we had a strategy. It’s about taking timely actions, maintaining visibility, honesty, and decisiveness, alongside achieving tangible outcomes on issues that are crucial to Calgary residents.

Nevertheless, Coun. Sonya Sharp of Ward 1 stated that she does not think this outcome was solely due to the continuous efforts being made by the city, citing the minimal survey responses recorded in the previous year as evidence.

More on Calgary

During the autumn season, we were nearly at our lowest point according to certain figures, which means things can only improve from here,” she stated. “The data shows impressive metrics related to security and trustworthiness, yet there’s always room for enhancement.

Seventy percent of Calgary residents expressed satisfaction with the way city administrators are managing the city; however, this percentage decreases significantly when looking specifically at their views on city council performance.

According to the survey, 52 percent of Calgary residents expressed satisfaction with the performance of city council, marking an increase of six percentage points since autumn. Conversely, the discontent among citizens towards the council decreased by six percentage points to reach 48 percent.

As a reply, the mayor stated that enhancing those statistics relies on better communication.

“Gondek stated, ‘Was I as proactive as I could have been during my initial three years as mayor? Definitely not. It’s crucial to remain truthful and ensure that the communication reflects our commitment to steering the city toward stability.”

Janet Brown, a pollster, indicates that the figures from the survey look quite positive for the city of Calgary; however, she points out the importance of considering the timing of when the survey took place.

The report indicates that the survey was conducted when U.S President Donald Trump declared his intention to impose tariffs on Canadian products, as well as during the swearing-in of Mark Carney as Prime Minister.

“Residents of Calgary have numerous valid complaints, however, their current frustration is directed towards the national administration, and they are concerned about the state of affairs between the United States and Canada,” Brown stated.

In such surroundings, perhaps it’s beneficial for the city since Calgarians are channeling their frustration towards other areas.

From February 27, 2025 to March 24, 2025, Ipsos Public Affairs conducted a telephone survey with 2,500 residents of Calgary. The study carries a potential fluctuation range of ± 2.0 percentage points, which occurs 19 times out of every 20 surveys.

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