Markham residents still satisfied overall, but concerns grow over housing and safety

By David Yin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

The City of Markham’s 2024 Satisfaction Survey shows that while residents remain largely satisfied with life in the city, concerns are growing in key areas, including housing affordability, road conditions, and safety.

Markham hired Armstrong Consulting to conduct the 2024 Satisfaction Survey from July 30 to Aug. 22, 2024. The city compared its 2024 results with those of 2022 to determine areas of concern.

The city published the survey’s results in a general committee meeting earlier this year.

Overall, 93 per cent of surveyed residents were satisfied with the quality of life in Markham. Over 80 per cent of residents agreed with statements about the city’s ability to uphold cleanliness, culture and heritage, parks and green spaces, and accessibility and diversity, which aligned with the 2022 results.

Additionally, between 70 and 80 per cent of residents agreed with statements regarding the success of city services and plans to develop liveable communities. These results were also similar to 2022.

However, only 50 to 70 per cent of residents agreed with statements describing the city’s efforts to fight climate change and interact with the public. This also applied in 2022.

The city said that it was concerned about residents’ lowered satisfaction in specific categories. Compared to 2022, fewer residents strongly agreed that Markham is great for residents and businesses, that Markham is safe, or that Markham’s roads are in good condition, with a decline of 14, 12, and 10 percentage points, respectively.

Additionally, only 33 per cent of residents agreed that the city is trying to increase its efforts to bring more affordable and rental housing, a decrease of eight percentage points from 2022.

Armstrong Consulting called 300 random Markham residents and asked each participant the same list of questions as in 2022. For each question, participants answered whether they strongly agreed, somewhat agreed, somewhat disagreed, strongly disagreed, or did not know to a particular statement.

According to the city’s 2024 Highlights report, the city will review its responsiveness to resident complaints, efforts to bring more affordable and rental housing, and communication about its sustainable practices.

For more details about the results, head to https://pub-markham.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=101505.

Photo: 84 per cent of residents agreed that Markham effectively protects heritage buildings and villages in the 2024 Satisfaction Survey.