Toronto - For Better or Worse?
Four in ten (41%) Torontonians feel that the city is a worse place to live today than it was five years ago. In comparison less than half as many (18%) believe that the city is, in fact, a better place to live today than it was 5 years ago. One in three (36%) feel that Toronto, as a place to live, is about the same as it was five years ago.
When asked about the satisfaction they have with a number of municipal services, Torontonians appear to be less satisfied now than they were in 1992 when identical questions were asked. The largest declines recorded are regarding:
- Maintenance and repair of streets satisfaction has declined 24 points from 79% in 1992 to 55% today.
- Satisfaction with garbage collection has declined from 89% in 1992 to 72% currently, a drop of 17 points.
- Satisfaction with parks and recreation facilities has dropped 12 points to 80% currently from 92% in 1992.
- Satisfaction with local public transportation has fallen from 80% in 1992 to 71% today, a decline of 9 points.
- And while Toronto residents are most satisfied with public libraries (85%), satisfaction with this municipal service has also declined from its level in 1992 (down 9 points from 94%).
Half (52%) of Torontonians agree with the view that "the Ontario provincial government does not care about the needs of Toronto". One-fifth (21%) of Toronto residents strongly agree with this proposition. Just under half (46%) disagree with this perspective.
In good news for some incumbent municipal councillors in an election year: Two-thirds (62%) of Toronto residents say they are satisfied with their local municipal councillor, compared with the one in five (19%) who are not satisfied.
So what are the top issues Torontonians say are facing the City today? Given recent events, it is not surprising that electricity/hydro/power/blackout (22%) came out on top as the poll was conducted during the weekend when the Premier finally lifted the state of emergency and hydro services were restored to full capacity. And in this context, when all Torontonians were asked what type of job various individuals and groups did at showing leadership during the recent power blackout, almost all Toronto (95%) residents give themselves a pat on the back saying that the `citizens of Toronto' did a `good job' (combined very good/good job) at showing leadership during the emergency. Next on the list at doing a `good job' showing leadership is Police Chief, Julian Fantino (86%), followed by TTC management (80%), Ontario Premier Ernie Eves (68%), hydro officials (66%) and Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman (65%), while just under half (45%) believe that Prime Minister Jean Chretien had done a `good job' in showing leadership.
Given that respondents could voice up to two responses on what they feel are the most important issues facing the city today, it is the next tier which reflects the more substantive issues - not simply the transient - which the city faces: housing/affordable housing/homelessness (20%), crime/violence (15%), education (11%), healthcare (10%), public transportation (9%), environmental issues (8%), economic issues (8%), unemployment (6%), transportation (5%), diseases such as SARS, West Nile, etc. (5%), high taxes (5%), traffic (5%), garbage (5%), government accountability (5%) and a number of other issues that were not mentioned by more than 4% of respondents.
These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/Globe and Mail/CFTO/CFRB poll conducted between August 21st and August 24th, 2003. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 500 adult residents of the City of Toronto. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 4.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of the City of Toronto been polled. The margin of error will be larger for sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's age/sex/household income composition reflects that of the actual adult population of the City of Toronto according to the 2001 Census data.
When asked about their feelings about living in the city, one in three (34%) say "I am very happy with this city. I really wouldn't want to live anywhere else at this time." Six in ten (60%) agree "I am generally content living in this city, but there are definitely things about it that I don't like", while one in twenty (6%) say "I really don't like living in this city and would prefer to live somewhere else".
- Torontonians today appear to be more content with living in the city than they were 11 years ago. When this question was asked of residents of Toronto in 1992, twice as many (13%) as currently (6%) said they didn't like living in the city and would prefer to live elsewhere, while on the opposite end, just 22% -- compared to 34% today - said they were happy and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Two-thirds (65% versus 60% today) said they were generally content, but there were things about the city they didn't like.
- It seems that Toronto is better suited to young adults today than it was a decade ago. Adults aged 18 to 34 are more likely now (33%) to say they are very happy with Toronto and wouldn't want to live anywhere else at this time than in 1992 (19%), an increase of 14 points. The number of middle aged Torontonians who hold this view has increased by 10 points (1992 - 23%; 2003 - 33%), while older Torontonians also show an increase in happiness with the City moving up 9 points from 26% in 1992 to 35% currently. Meanwhile the number of young adult and middle-aged Toronto residents who would prefer to live elsewhere has declined from 14% for both age groups to just 6% for both groups. The difference among older residents is virtually unchanged moving from 9% in 1992 to 7% currently.
- Men appear to be far happier today with Toronto than they did in 1992. Currently 35% of men say they wouldn't want to live anywhere else, which represents an increase of 16 points compared to the results of 1992 (19%). Women also appear to be happier, but the change is not as dramatic moving from 25% in 1992 to 33% today. The number of men who would prefer to live elsewhere has declined 9 points from 15% in 1992 to 6% today. The number of women who share this position has moved from 11% in 1992 to 7% today.
- More established Toronto residents (49%), that is those who have lived in Toronto for more than 10 years, are more likely to say the City is a worse place to live than it was five years ago, than are residents who have lived in the City for between 6 and 10 years (33%) or 5 years or less (19%).
- Torontonians who were not born in Canada (28%) are three times more likely to feel that Toronto is a better place to live today than it was five years ago, than are those who were born in Canada (9%).
- In general, residents newer to the City are more likely to express satisfaction than longer- term residents. This is the case regarding parks and recreation facilities (up to 5 years 90%; 6+ years 78%); public transit and the TTC (up to 5 years 82%; 6+ years 68%); and maintenance and repair of streets (up to 5 years 68%; 6+ years 52%).
- Newer residents are more likely to be satisfied than are longer-term residents; traffic management (up to 5 years 72%; more than 5 years 57%).
Half (52%) of Torontonians agree with the view that "the Ontario provincial government does not care about the needs of Toronto". One-fifth (21%) of Toronto residents strongly agree with it. But, 46% of Toronto residents disagree that "the Ontario provincial government does not care about the needs of Toronto". Interestingly, the intensity is as strong on the disagree side as on the agree side (strongly disagree 21%; strongly agree 21%).
- Longer-term residents (55%) are more likely to agree with this position than are those who have only lived in Toronto for up to 5 years (41%).
In good news for some incumbent municipal councillors in an election year, two-thirds (62% - 18% very satisfied) of Toronto residents indicate they are satisfied with their local municipal councillor versus 19% who are not satisfied.
- Residents in lower income households (70%) are more likely to say they are satisfied with their local municipal councillor than are those in middle (60%) and upper (59%) income households.
- Women are more likely than men to cite issues such as housing/affordable housing/ homelessness (women 28%, men 11%) and healthcare (women 15%, men 5%).
- Not surprising, Torontonians with children in primary or secondary school are more likely to cite education as an important issue facing the City (20% versus 9%).
- Major differences of opinion appear regarding the job that Prime Minister Chretien did providing leadership during the blackout crisis. A majority of young adults (55% versus 34% of older) Torontonians, residents in lower income household (55% versus 37% in all higher income households), renters (52% versus 32% of owners) and newer Toronto residents (69% versus 39% of longer-term residents) feel that the Prime Minister did a good job in providing leadership during the crisis.
- In other findings on this subject, Hydro officials are more likely to be viewed as doing a good job in showing leadership by younger adult Torontonians (75% versus 57% of older Torontonians) and women (71% versus 59% of men).
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For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Ipsos-Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900
