55% of Calgarians believe city is ‘on the wrong track’: poll

More than half of Calgarians surveyed believe the city is “on the wrong track,” a recent Leger poll suggests.

According to a report published on Friday, 55 per cent of 451 Calgarians surveyed said they believe the city is on the wrong track, compared with 37 per cent who said they believe the city is headed in the right direction.

Housing prices and affordability were cited as the top issue Calgary is facing by 26 per cent of those surveyed, followed by property taxes (14 per cent) and the economy (12 per cent).

Out of the 451 people surveyed, 37 per cent of those gave Mayor Jyoti Gondek a low score when it comes to handling their top issue. About 50 per cent of Calgarians gave Gondek a mid-range score, while only 14 per cent of Calgarians surveyed said they are satisfied by the way the mayor has handled their top issue.

The majority of survey respondents said they believe Gondek has done a “bad job” than a “good job” addressing issues Calgary is facing, with the exception being alternative transportation (bike lanes and walking paths).

The Leger report said around 24 per cent of those surveyed voted for Gondek in the 2021 Municipal Election election. If a municipal election was held tomorrow, only 11 per cent of those voters would vote for her again while 54 per cent of those voters said they would vote for someone else.

The report also said 77 per cent of those surveyed were aware of the recall petition against Gondek that was submitted to Elections Calgary on Thursday, April 4. Fifty-eight per cent of respondents said they were informed on the campaign.

However, 47 per cent of respondents said they supported the campaign compared with the 32 per cent who opposed it. Only 29 per cent of Calgarians who responded to Leger’s survey signed or intended to sign the recall petition.

Around 42 per cent of respondents said they agreed with the statement saying, “If you did not vote in the last municipal election, you should not be able to sign the ‘Recall Gondek’ petition.” Thirty-two per cent of those surveyed said they don’t agree with the statement while 14 per cent said they neither agree nor disagree.

Leger’s online poll surveyed 451 Calgary residents aged 18 or older. For comparison purposes, a probability sample size of 451 yields a margin of error of no greater than 4.61 per cent, or 19 times out of 20 for the total sample. Leger said the results were weighted according to age, gender and education to ensure a “representative sample” of the Calgary population.

&© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.