Quality of Life survey reports food insecurity, rent increases and public safety concerns in Calgary

Almost half of Calgary parents say they’ve skipped a meal so their children could eat, according to a new report.

The Calgary Foundation’s 2025 Quality of Life report is out — painting a grim picture of how rising costs, inflation, and the overall economy are impacting what Calgarians put in their bellies.

Nearly a quarter of respondents say their whole family has skipped meals and 88 per cent made adjustments to their lives to afford rising food costs.

Use of community-based food services also jumped this year to 28 per cent. Those numbers are even higher for those aged 18-34; 44 per cent say they’ve used a food service to be able to eat.

Housing is also a major source of stress for Calgarians — 70 per cent of renters say their rent increased in 2024, one in five have missed a rent payment, and two in three had to make changes to their budgets to afford their rent increase.

Less than half of Calgary renters believe they will own a home one day, despite having a strong desire to do so.

Public safety remains a significant concern; 69 per cent of Calgarians are concerned about domestic violence, including 79 per cent of woman.

Those sentiments trickle down into other data — just 27 per cent of residents say they feel safe in downtown Calgary after dark; that number drops to just 13 per cent when women are asked.

On the upside, 77 per cent of respondents to the survey say they are able to afford healthy food, up from 2023 and 2024.

The report says quality of life in Calgary improved over the last year — 66 per cent of respondents rated their quality of life as good or excellent, up from 61 per cent last year.

This has turned into longtime resident retention, according to the foundation, which says the fewest number of people ever are planning to leave the city in the next five years.

Calgarians are also feeling more positive about the economy, up seven per cent to 42 per cent. Residents also generally report a sense of belonging in their communities.

Despite loving and appreciating their communities, Calgarians are struggling to give back.

Volunteering and donations are at an all time low, according to the new data. Just 46 per cent of Calgarians say they’ve donated at least once this year. Five years ago, that number was 66 per cent.

The 2025 report is based on survey responses from 1,000 Calgarians.