(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

The results are in from the City of Kamloops’s 2019 citizen satisfaction survey, and it seems the city may have more content people than neighbouring communities.

The last time a similar study was done was in 2016, according to a City of Kamloops media release.

This time around, 400 randomly selected residents were surveyed over the phone, the City says. Those surveyed represented the community’s demographics, and the survey addressed a range of issues facing the community. The aim of the survey is to provide insight into the citizens’ needs, priorities, attitudes and levels of satisfaction.

The City says the survey revealed a strong score for overall quality of life.

Of those surveyed, 95 per cent believe they have a good quality of life. That number is well above the scores of comparable neighbouring communities, the City says. Eighteen per cent believe their quality of life got better. Some residents gave feedback as to why they believe quality of life has improved, and cited reasons such a recreation, arts and culture, more jobs, improved infrastructure and even new restaurants.

Although Kamloops has a higher than average percentage for quality of life perception, 24 per cent of people surveyed believed the quality of life has decreased. Reasons cited include road conditions, traffic, homelessness, crime and drug issues.

When asked what made Kamloops a good place to live, 28 per cent of respondents credited the nice weather and 22 per cent mentioned the close proximity to green spaces. Friendliness might have played a role as well, as 20 per cent of those asked claimed the people are what makes Kamloops a good place to live.

Included in the topic of quality of life was taxation. Although some residents think taxation is a concern, 80 per cent of respondents believe they receive a good value for their taxes, which is 13 per cent higher than the average of neighbouring comparable municipalities.

The residents surveyed had three top-of-mind topics. Seventeen per cent mentioned transportation issues such as street lighting, sidewalks and road conditions. Issues surrounding homelessness were brought up by 13 per cent of those surveyed, and nine per cent of respondents mentioned crime and safety as a top concern.

Respondents want the City to advocate for homelessness and mental health before any other issues. In 2016, the main concern residents wanted to see brought to light was the issues faced by children and youth at risk.

The survey shows that Kamloopsians prefer to see tax increases over cutting services, which has been noticed in previous surveys. However, they would prefer to see increased user fees rather than higher taxes when it comes around to making revenue for the City.

“These findings indicate an appreciation for a growing, vibrant city and remain consistent with the 2016 results, which indicated the importance of parks, recreation, culture, community safety, and affordability,” Kamloops mayor Ken Christian in the release. “The report not only indicates where we are excelling at building a great community, but also where we have an opportunity to look at effectively targeting the services residents see as room for improvement and of importance.”

Click here for a full copy of the report.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Jenna Wheeler or call (250) 819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2020