Vancouver residents report lower life satisfaction than rest of B.C.

A recent Statistics Canada survey says Metro Vancouver residents were more likely to report worse mental health and lower life satisfaction than people in other parts of British Columbia.

The statistics agency also noted in The Daily on Monday that renters across the country — but particularly in Metro Vancouver and Greater Toronto — reported lower life satisfaction compared to homeowners.

Data was collected through the Canadian Social Survey, a voluntary survey which sampled over 20,000 households across the country, from 2021 through 2023. 

Statistics Canada says those living in Metro Vancouver in 2021 through 2023 reported lower life satisfaction and worse mental health than others in B.C., and had a lower sense of "belonging to their community."

One tenants' rights advocate says Metro Vancouver's unaffordable housing market and high cost of living play a role in the worse outcomes reported by residents.

"I know people who have had their mental health significantly impacted by housing instability," said Mariah Javadi, a volunteer with the Vancouver Tenants Union. "[It's] to the point where they hear a knock at the door, they think it's their landlord, they immediately go into a panic attack."

Statistics Canada said financial strain is "a factor that may be associated with quality of life," as shelter costs dominate household budgets.

In 2021, the agency said, fewer than 19 per cent of Canadians reported difficulty making ends meet. That number rose to nearly 27 per cent in the second quarter of 2023.

Citing 2021 census figures, Statistics Canada says nearly 30 per cent of people in Metro Vancouver spent half their income on shelter costs.

WATCH | Vancouverites past and present talk about their life satisfaction: 

Are Vancouverites more unhappy than other British Columbians?

9 months ago

Duration 3:37

Vancouver residents respond to Statistics Canada data that shows people living in the city are less likely to report high life satisfaction than people elsewhere in B.C.

Javadi says she was not surprised to hear that Metro Vancouver residents reported a lower sense of belonging compared to others in the province.

"If I had a nickel for every time I heard somebody say, 'I gotta find somewhere else,' I might be able to buy my own house and have some housing stability," she said.

The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation's annual report found that Metro Vancouver led Canada for the highest average two-bedroom rental price ($2,181) and the highest price for a newly rented two-bedroom unit ($2,601), and also had the lowest vacancy rate among the country's major cities (0.9 per cent). 

Politicians have stated that tackling the housing crisis is a top priority, with B.C.'s NDP government and the Opposition B.C. United both releasing housing plans in recent weeks.

Javadi says she's skeptical of the government's latest promise to build thousands of homes on underused public land, saying the middle-income units promised under the program will still be out of reach for many people.

"If you're living on a fixed income with [disability or pension], you're stuck with that, right?" she said. "How do you get more income in order to attain a market-rate unit? It's just — you can't get blood from a stone."