While a recent survey found Saanich residents feel less satisfied with quality of life, safety and affordability compared to 2021, council members say the data doesn’t reflect the community’s diversity and are calling for a more representative survey.
Conducted bi-annually by BC Stats, the Pulse Check Survey seeks to gather resident input on diverse issues and topics in the municipality.
This year, a random sample of 4,052 residents was selected, with just under 30 per cent (1,980 people) completing the survey online, by mail, or in person at city hall.
The survey found that 73 per cent of respondents said they were “generally happy living in Saanich,” and 71 per cent felt “safe when using recreational trails.”
Fewer residents "recommend Saanich as a good place to live" (dropping from 82 to 71 per cent) compared to the 2021 survey, and fewer reported feeling safe overall (down from 78 to 68 per cent).
While participation increased significantly—nearly five times more than in 2021—satisfaction levels declined across all areas, including safety, quality of life, and municipal services.
Affordability remained a concern, with only 39 per cent of respondents agreeing that “Saanich has relatively good access to affordable housing options.”
However, one point that raised concerns among the council was the representativeness of the survey’s data. Numbers showed that 95 per cent of respondents identified as white, 42 per cent were over the age of 65, and 93 per cent were homeowners.
Conversely, the survey showed that only five per cent of the respondents were from an ethnic background different from white.
Coun. Plant was the first to raise the issue, noting that while the 2021 Census shows a quarter of Saanich’s population is not first-generation Canadians, this demographic was not reflected in the survey’s results.
“The results [are] not reflective of our municipality,” said Plant. “We're not having that makeup as we need to see.”
Mayor Dean Murdock echoed similar concerns.
“It concerns me that what we're seeing in terms of the representation in the survey is not representative of our demographics,” said Murdock. “We're missing lots of families, lots of students, lots of newcomers to this community.”
To ensure more representation, Plant suggested Saanich may need to enforce quotas to better reflect the community’s diversity in future surveys.
“I thank everybody for completing the survey, but I wish we can have, in the future, a survey that captures the diversity both the age and cultural [background of] our community.”
