Calgarians say quality of life has dropped, but less want to leave | Daily Hive

Calgarians say quality of life has dropped, but less want to leave the city

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Calgarians may be feeling less positive about their quality of life, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they want to leave the city.

The Calgary Foundation recently released its 2026 quality of life report. The report is based on a survey of 1,000 randomly selected Calgarians, with respondents chosen using demographic quotas to reflect the city’s population.

Just 58 per cent of Calgarians rated their quality of life as good or excellent this year, down from 66 per cent in 2025 and 75 per cent in 2020.

The report also found a major difference in how Calgarians rate their quality of life depending on their income.

Just 37 per cent of those earning less than $60,000 rated their quality of life as good or excellent, compared to 89 per cent of those earning more than $200,000.

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Despite the decline in quality of life, the report found that fewer respondents had thoughts of leaving the city, with just 17 per cent saying they plan to leave Calgary within the next five years, down from 19 per cent in 2025 and 30 per cent in 2021.

The report also found that 86 per cent of Calgarians agree that Calgary is a good place to live, while 85 per cent say it’s a good place to raise a family.

Younger Calgarians were the most positive, with 91 per cent of those aged 18 to 34 saying Calgary is a good place to live, compared to 81 per cent of those aged 35 to 64 and 94 per cent of those aged 65 and older.

While quality of life may be down, it seems that residents are still happy with the city. Earlier this year, Calgary was also named the seventh happiest city in Canada.

You can find the full report online.