Vancouverites second-least satisfied with housing out of all major Canadian cities: survey

Sure, Vancouver may be a beautiful place to call home, but according to new figures from Statistics Canada, a large majority of citizens here on the west coast are not overly happy with their housing situation.

Those findings come courtesy of the 2018 Canadian Housing Survey (CHS), which found that overall, 85.6% of households in Canada said they’re “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their neighbourhood.

Among the largest 10 census metropolitan areas included in the survey, the neighbourhood satisfaction rate is highest in Québec, in which 92.5% of households reported they’re satisfied with their housing.

Montreal came in second place, with 88.2% of households saying they’re satisfied with their housing, while Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo all tied for third place with 85.5% of households saying they’re satisfied.

At the other ed of the list, Toronto claimed the final spot, with just 82.2% of households saying they’re happy with their housing. Right behind Canada’s largest city though is Vancouver. Here, 82.3% of households said they are happy with their housing situation.

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According to the survey, the more populated an area a respondent lived in, the less satisfied they were with their neighbourhood.

Those living in rural communities had a 91.4% rating, while the numbers dropped the larger the population density per square kilometre, from 88.7% for those living in areas with less than 1,344 residents per square kilometre to 80.8% for those living in the same square kilometre as over 4,699 other people.

The rate of satisfaction also fluctuated depending on whether or not the respondent was an owner (87.9%) or a renter (80.4%).

The lowest satisfaction recorded for a demographic in the survey, however, was for renters who were living in social and affordable housing, with a rating of just 75% — over 10 points lower than the national average.

2018 Canadian housing satisfaction ranking:

1. Québec: 92.5%
2. Montréal: 88.2%
3. Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo: 85.5%
4. Ottawa-Gatineau: 85.4%
5. Hamilton: 85.4%
6. Winnipeg: 83.8%
7. Calgary: 82.5%
8. Edmonton: 82.4%
9. Vancouver: 82.3
10. Toronto: 82.2%