The majority of Canadians, 71 per cent, are moderately, very, or extremely satisfied with their local governments. 

However, 43 per cent feel they get good value for their money. And 40 only per cent say their local government does a good job of consulting with them. 

Municipal governments fare better than their provincial and federal counterparts on citizen satisfaction. Previous studies put average rates of Canadian citizen satisfaction with the federal government at 44 per cent and with provincial governments at 34 per cent.

These are part of the key findings in a four-country survey about citizens’ feelings towards their local governments shows cities have big challenges, and big opportunities when it comes to engaging with and listening to their people.

This spring, Vision Critical, the world’s leading provider of insight community technologies, asked more than five thousand people in Canada, the United States, Britain and Australia about their levels of satisfaction with their local governments and about how connected to their communities they feel. 

This comprehensive survey is part of the Vision Critical Cities Project, aimed at investigating and bringing to light the levels and quality of citizen engagement around the world.

In total 5,053 adults were asked about their attitudes towards local government and their interactions with their city halls. 

A deeper look into the numbers provides striking insights into the mindsets and motivations of citizens. The survey reveals most respondents fit into four categories when it comes to engaging with local government: people who are either Angry Activists or Happy Campers on the extreme ends of satisfaction, or Young and Ambivalent, and Retiring Skeptics in the middle.

“Local governments face an eclectic landscape of citizen attitudes,” says Dr. Angus Reid, Chairman, Vision Critical.

“At one extreme is a group (16%) that is highly dissatisfied with local government and unafraid to make itself heard. At the other end is a larger group (26%) that is consistently pleased with almost everything it sees in local government. In between is a group dominated by young people who aren’t involved or engaged, and another group, closer to retirement which presents a profile of weary resignation toward municipal issues. 

If local governments are serious about listening to and consulting their citizens, they must consider the method and means by which they are connecting,” says Dr. Reid.

 

KEY FINDINGS

 

• 71% of Canadians are generally satisfied with their municipal government.

• Canadians are more satisfied with their local governments than Americans and Britons, but less satisfied than Australians.

• It is increasingly difficult for local government to engage with the majority of Canadians.

 

Happy Campers

 

These folks are satisfied with their communities, satisfied with their politicians, and satisfied with their bureaucrats. They are satisfied with the way their local governments communicate long term vision, and respond to citizen needs. They think their local politicians are working in their best interests and they feel like their vote makes a difference. These Canadians (26% of respondents overall) are also satisfied with municipal engagement, and that they have both access to city hall to have their say, and, that their opinions are heard.

 

Young and Ambivalent

 

They represent about a quarter of overall respondents in Canada. They are predominantly young, and for municipal governments, likely the hardest to reach no matter what they do or try from an engagement perspective. The Young and Ambivalent are more likely to be wired, participating in activities online. They are a diverse group. They don’t agree on much when it comes to specific attitudes towards city hall, but are least likely to vote because they don’t know enough about the issues. Roughly 60 per cent don’t have a sense of what their local government even does.  The majority of the Young and Ambivalent think the goings-on at city hall are too complex to figure out. However, they also think engagement and public consultation are worthwhile efforts, and say they wish there were easier ways to talk to their local governments.

 

Angry Activists

 

This is the smallest, but loudest and angriest group of respondents overall (16%). They are more likely to have participated in municipal processes than the other groups. And they are more likely to want to participate. They don’t feel like municipal dollars are being well spent, they don’t think their cities do a good job of consulting them, and they don’t think their opinions are valued by city hall. While they are more likely to take the time and effort to complain, they don’t believe the squeakiest wheel gets the grease. In terms of engagement, these are the folks more likely to be joiners, because it gives them a chance to blow a lot of steam at their city halls that are doing, in their views, so badly. Taxes and city budget management are big drivers for their anger.

 

Retiring Skeptics

 

Retiring is a double entendre here, because this group is most likely to be retired. And, based on their levels of participation with city hall in the past, they seem to be retiring from participating in civic engagements. The first line in Anna Karenina is: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”. The same might be said for these people who all have their own reasons for throwing up their hands in defeat when it comes to feeling satisfied with or engaging with their cities. This is the largest segment of Canadian respondents at 35%. When it comes to attitudes about specific issues, they agree as a group on very little, except that they think city hall doesn’t want to hear them. One clue to their thinking is their withdrawal from participation in civic affairs. While they have been actively involved over the course of their lifetime (attending town halls, open houses, etc.), their participation in the last 12 months has dropped off.