The City of Charlottetown’s 2023 Community Survey results are in and 75% of residents perceive their quality of life to be good, a comparatively higher proportion when compared to other capital and large cities in Atlantic Canada. Factors contributing to residents’ positive quality of life include ease of getting around the city, low crime rates, friendly people, activities and entertainment, and access to greenspace.
In addition to quality of life, residents were questioned on a wide range of topics including satisfaction with city services, municipal engagement, communications and customer service and strategic planning.
“A key priority of the City of Charlottetown’s Strategic Plan is reflecting the values of our community over time” said Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown. “The feedback we received from our 2023 Community Survey will help us better understand how we can provide the best possible services to Charlottetown residents.”
The Community Survey also found:
• 95% of residents are proud to live in Charlottetown (strongly agree 61%, somewhat agree 34%.)
• 93% of residents feel safe in Charlottetown (very safe 63%, somewhat safe 30%.)
• 91% of residents agree Charlottetown is a welcoming and inclusive community (strongly agree 45%, somewhat agree 46%.)
• 87% of residents are satisfied with the overall level and quality of services provided by the city, compared to the municipal benchmark of 70% (which includes Halifax, St. John’s, Moncton, Fredericton, and Saint John.)
• 72% of residents feel they are getting good value for their tax dollars, compared to the municipal benchmark of 55%.
The strategic priorities most important to residents include infrastructure and environment projects and community-building and placemaking initiatives. Key areas noted for improvement include better sidewalk and road maintenance, enhanced crime control, and increased access to recreation programs. Regulation of short-term rentals and speeding and traffic enforcement were also noted as areas for improvement.
“The Community Survey results will help inform staff on strategic decisions such as the annual budget, corporate priorities, and long-term planning” said Councillor Norman Beck, Chair of the Strategic Priorities, Communications and Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee. “This is valuable information and shows that while we’re doing many things right, there is always room for improvement.”
The survey was conducted by Advanis and consisted of 500 telephone interviews with a statistically relevant sample of Charlottetown residents aged 18+ between June 5 and 21, 2023. Quotas were set to include a diverse sample based on age group, gender, and postal code, and collected data was weighted to match population proportions in the city to ensure accurate representation. The margin of error for the overall sample is +/- 4.4% at the 95% Confidence Interval.
Residents also had an opportunity to participate in a self-reporting online survey at Charlottetownhall.ca. The city received input from 926 residents between June 5 and 25, and found:
- 68% rated the overall quality of life in Charlottetown as good or very good.
- 86% said they are proud to live in Charlottetown.
- 78% agreed Charlottetown is a welcoming and inclusive community.
- 75% were satisfied with the level and quality of services provided by the city.
Survey results were presented to Council on September 25. Visit charlottetownhall.ca/communitysurvey to learn more and view the full report.