Calgary great place to live, city services satisfaction on downward trend: report

A recent city report reveals that most residents say Calgary is a “great place to make a life,” but fewer are satisfied with its services.

The 2026 Spring Survey of Calgarians, presented to council Tuesday, says 76 per cent of Calgarians have an overall good quality of life, an upward trend from 71 per cent in the fall.

Only seven per cent say they have a poor quality of life, a two-year low.

Additionally, 74 per cent of Calgarians agree the city is a “great place to make a life” while only eight per cent disagree. The survey results jumped considerably since 2024, which had some of the lowest results recorded (69 per cent agreed and 12 per cent disagreed).

The needle didn’t move on the city being a great place to make a living, with only 68 per cent agreeing and 12 per cent disagreeing. Just over half of respondents feel Calgary is on track to be a better city.

When it comes to the top priorities for Calgarians, 39 per cent chose traffic and roads, the same as the last report in the fall. Crime, safety, and policing are at 21 per cent, also consistent with the last survey in the fall.

“This suggests many Calgarians see a need to maintain and improve core infrastructure such as roads, traffic, pathways and sidewalks,” the report reads.

The only time traffic and roads, and crime and safety saw a change in priority was in the 2023 Fall satisfaction survey, when they tied for 17 per cent. Traffic and roads have consistently been the most important issue for Calgarians, according to the report.

With some of these categories remaining unchanged, concerns with homelessness dropped dramatically to 11 per cent from 19 per cent, along with mentions of poverty and social issues dropping to nine per cent.

Lastly, the services with the highest and lowest satisfaction numbers were fire services (90 per cent) and housing services (27 per cent). Other notables include Transit services on the lower end (46 per cent), and Emergency Management Services and Community and Culture Services on the higher end (tied at 75 per cent).

However, the city reports that overall satisfaction with the level and quality of city services is down to 62 per cent, the lowest since Spring 2024, but part of an overall decline since Fall 2017, which had the highest level of satisfaction at 79 per cent.

Just over half of Calgarians (51 per cent) feel they receive “good value for their property tax dollars,” while 21 per cent perceive poor value. Twenty-eight per cent are neutral.

The city report says the results show room for improvement and where it can be found for each service.

“Using a revised list of services this year and the addition of questions related to experience, time and quality for each, this survey provides a deeper understanding of individual City services, as seen through the eyes of Calgarians,” the report reads.

“These results show room for improvement and most importantly, where that improvement may be found for each service, be it experience, time or quality.”

The research findings are made for use by council and administration in their “consideration in planning and decision-making.”

The executive meeting, where the report is being presented to council, is on Tuesday.