It's A Tie! Torontonians and Montrealers Are 81% Satisfied with Overall Quality of Life in Their Cities -- Survey by York University Institute for Social Research

TORONTO, July 13, 1999 -- Despite the rigorous rivalries between Canada's two biggest cities, it seems Torontonians and Montrealers are equally satisfied with the overall quality of life in their metropolis, according to a survey released this week by York University's Institute for Social Research (ISR).

The Institute initiated an annual quality of life survey in January, 1998 to measure the level of satisfaction with the quality of life in Canadian cities. The original survey called for a survey of both Torontonians and Montrealers, but the effects of the ferocious ice storm of 1998 would have made communication difficult, and would invariably have biased the results. In 1999, however, the survey was expanded to include a comparison with Montreal.

Survey results showed:

In terms of the overall quality of life, Torontonians remained 81per cent satisfied in 1999 (same as in 1998);

Nine per cent of Torontonians believed that their quality of life was better in 1999 than in 1998. That's down from 1998 when 12 per cent believed that their quality of life was better than in the previous year;

13 per cent of Montrealers in 1999 believed that their quality of life was better in 1999 than in 1998

The survey was conducted between January and February, 1999 through telephone interviews with 400 Torontonians and 400 Montrealers, 18 years of age or older. Survey results for this sample size are accurate within 4.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

ISR Director Prof. Paul Grayson said the on-going surveys of Torontonians and Montrealers help track the effects of short and long-term social changes -- stemming from such policy decisions as municipal amalgamation, provincial downloading of services and changes in the property tax assessment system -- while monitoring any marked differences between how Torontonians and Montrealers feel about various aspects of life in their cities. He said municipal politicians, city planners, and citizens conscious about the quality of life in their communities should take note of the findings. York University's survey is the first, and currently only, annual survey comparing the quality of life in Canada's two largest cities.

"Historically there has been a lot of rivalry between Toronto and Montreal," said Grayson. "The results of studies like these enable us to test our assumptions about the quality of life in the two cities. It will be instructive to analyze the results from upcoming surveys on specific aspects of city living to see how Toronto comes out on top on some dimensions while Montreal has the edge in others."

"We should not rule out the possibility that yearly and/or city-to-city differences exist in more specific assessments of quality of life," said Grayson. This possibility will be explored in forthcoming reports to be released over the next few weeks. They will include:

Use and evaluation of health care (Are you happy with the medical care you receive?)

Participation in, and evaluation of, political life (How helpful are municipal politicians?)

Evaluation of leisure activities (Are you satisfied by the variety of theatres?)

Evaluation of municipal services (Are you satisfied with snow removal, police service?)

Evaluation of education of children (Is your city a good place to raise children?)

Evaluation of housing (Would you describe your dwelling as a "home"?)

Evaluation of neighbourhoods (Do you feel safe in your neighbourhood?)

Evaluation of jobs (How likely is it that you will be laid off in the next year?)

Evaluation of happiness ( In the past month have you felt depressed or unhappy?)

Founded in 1965, the Institute for Social Research (ISR) is an Organized Research Unit at York University. The Institute's purpose is to undertake, promote and critically evaluate applied social research. The Institute, with over thirty years experience in social science, public opinion and policy research, houses the largest University based survey research unit in Canada.

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For more information, please contact:

Dr. Paul Grayson
Director, Institute for Social Research
York University
(416) 736-5458
email: grayson@yorku.ca

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor, Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087
email: sinem@yorku.ca

Ken Turriff
Media Relations Officer
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22086
email: kturriff@yorku.ca
YU/079/99

Please note: For more information in French, please contact: (Pour plus d'information en franÁais, s.v.p. contacter:)

Susan Stowe
Research Analyst
Institute for Social Research
York University
(416) 736-5061
sstowe@yorku.ca