Vancouver ranks lowest in Statistics Canada's life satisfaction survey
Vancouverites have the lowest life satisfaction of all Canadians, while residents of Saguenay, Que., have the highest, according to a new report from Statistics Canada.
The report, which examined responses from Statistics Canada's general social survey from 2009 to 2013, found that residents of Saguenay, Trois-Rivières, Que., and St. John's had the highest life satisfaction in the country.
Across the country, residents of Vancouver, Toronto and Windsor were the least satisfied with life.
On average, Vancouverites had a life satisfaction score of about 7.8 out of 10. Residents of Saguenay, a city about 200 kilometres north of Quebec City, had an average rating of more than 8.2 out of 10.
Sudbury, Ont., had the highest percentage of people rating their life satisfaction as nine or 10 out of 10.
Vancouver had the lowest, with fewer than 35 per cent of people claiming the same.
According to the study, the differences in satisfaction changed little when other factors like income levels, age, and employment status were taken into account.
Other findings include:
- On average, women reported greater life satisfaction than men.
- Those in their 40s and 50s reported lower life satisfaction than those who were younger or older.
- Married individuals reported higher life satisfaction than those who were never married or divorced.
- There was a strong correlation between health and life satisfaction.
- Aboriginal people reported some of the highest levels of life satisfaction.
- People in smaller communities reported higher satisfaction than those in large cities.
