Here’s why 24% of Londoners describe their quality of life as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ in municipal survey

A new survey conducted on behalf of city hall found 24 per cent of Londoners described their quality of life as “poor” or “very poor.”

The unrelenting homelessness crisis continues to impact Londoners’ perceptions of their quality of life according to the results of a recent survey conducted on behalf of City Hall.

The 2025 Resident Satisfaction Survey found that 24 per cent of respondents described their quality of life as “poor” or “very poor,” compared to 75 per cent who described their satisfaction as “good” (62 per cent) or “very good” (13 per cent).

The level of dissatisfaction remains relatively unchanged from 2024 (23 per cent) and 2023 (23 per cent), but is well above pre-pandemic levels in 2019 (6 per cent) and 2018 (8 per cent).

London’s total satisfaction score of “good” and “very good” responses (75 per cent) is lower than the average score (88 per cent) among nine municipalities in Ontario.

The leading reasons cited by those who ranked their quality of life as poor or very poor relate to persistent problems impacting the city:

• Homelessness (35 per cent)
• Crime/Public Safety/Policing (27 per cent)
• Housing/Lack of availability or affordability (26 per cent)
• Drug Addiction / Mental Health Issues (24 per cent)
• High Cost of Living (21 per cent)

Meanwhile, Londoners who ranked their quality of life as “good” or “very good” most frequently cited reasons that indicated their financial security:

• Lots to do
• Low crime
• Good standard of living
• Good / Friendly / Nice City
• Good income / Have a job

A respondent’s age also influenced their perceived quality of life.

According to the report, “Residents aged 55+ (19 per cent) have the highest perceptions of a “very good” quality of life, consistent with 2024 results (22 per cent).“

However, only 6 per cent of younger residents aged 18 to 34 described their quality of life as “very good.”

The annual survey also asked respondents to identify the most pressing “Top of Mind” issues facing the city.

Traffic and social issues dominate the list:

• Homelessness (57 per cent)
• Traffic and Road Congestion (23 per cent)
• Mental Health and Addictions (22 per cent)
• Road Maintenance (16 per cent)

The Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee (SPPC) will consider the results of the annual survey on November 18.

The Annual Residential Satisfaction Survey was conducted by Forum Research Inc. in October and calculated the quality of life results by contacting 500 Londoners over the age of 18.