CityNews poll shows 71% of Calgarians say home ownership out of reach
Posted Nov 11, 2025 2:36 pm.
Last Updated Nov 11, 2025 2:41 pm.
Owning a home is something many Calgarians dream about, but a new CityNews poll suggests that for most people who don’t already own, that dream might stay out of reach.
According to a Canada Pulse Insights poll commissioned by CityNews, there are major concerns about housing affordability in the city, with 71 per cent of non-homeowners believing they will never be able to own a house or residence.
Two-thirds of Calgary’s residents, or 67 per cent, rate housing affordability in the city as “bad” or “terrible,” and the rental market isn’t getting much love either, with 69 per cent of people saying the same thing.
CityNews spoke with residents about these concerns.
“Rent is so high now since COVID,” said one Calgarian. “It was $850 for a one-bedroom, now you’re looking at $1,750.”
Another says, “for one bedroom it’s $1,700 right away, and two bedrooms is $2,700. I think it needs to be capped.”
According to the survey, saving for a down payment isn’t as much of a challenge for Calgarians as the actual price of the home, with 28 per cent saying saving for a down payment is their biggest obstacle.
John Wright, CEO of Canada Pulse Insights, says the most alarming issue is with youth aged 18-35.
“There’s about a third of the population who rent, and of that, roughly three-quarters believe or close to three-quarters believe they’re never going to own a home,” he said in an interview.
“What is a bit soul crushing is that, of course, is you’ve got young people that are the largest proportion of that, the 18 to 35 year old group who say that they’re not going to own a home at all.”
When it comes to why housing is unaffordable, the poll shows 64 per cent of Calgarians point to population pressures tied to immigration, while about a third disagreed with that notion and blame other factors, such as developers or policy.
The poll was conducted from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, 2025, among adults aged 18 and older in Calgary. The probability sample of this size has a margin of error of ±4.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
