FILE PHOTO - City of Kelowna
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June 17, 2022 - 6:00 PM
Most Kelowna residents say their quality of life is getting worse than in previous years, according to the City of Kelowna's latest Citizens Survey.
The city asked 300 residents questions over the phone and 55% of residents surveyed said their quality of life had gotten worse. Only 34% said their quality of life has stayed the same, while 8% said it had improved.
“Social issues continue to dominate the public issue agenda with 57% of citizens identifying social issues as the most important issue facing the community on an open-ended basis. Comments around housing affordability, poverty and homelessness were the most frequent,” according to the report that will be presented to council Monday, June 20.
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The results show residents’ perception of their quality of life is significantly lower than in previous years. In 2022, the net score sat at -47, while 2020 saw a score of -13 and 2018 saw a score of -15.
The cost of living is the main reason why residents are saying their quality of life is worsening with 21%, followed by safety concerns at 14%.
The overall perception of community safety has also declined, with 81% of those surveyed stating they feel safe or very safe in the community. In 2020 and 2018, 87% of residents said they felt safe overall.
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Satisfaction with city services has also dropped this year, although most are still satisfied.
A majority of residents, 80%, said they were satisfied or very satisfied with services, which was a drop from 91% in 2020.
Fire services, police services, road maintenance, snow removal, addressing climate change and city management all saw drops in satisfaction among residents.
Residents' perceptions of the value for their taxes have also decreased compared to 2020 with 75% in 2022 down from 79%. However, a majority choose tax increases over service reductions.
Their top three issues for the city to invest in are addressing social issues, a diverse housing supply and traffic flow management.
The full report can be viewed here.
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