What significant highlights and concerns of living in Greater Victoria do local residents face?
Now in its 18th year and sponsored by Coast Capital, Victoria's 2023 Vital Signs program assesses community well-being across 12 key areas, such as education, cost of living and transportation. The findings of the program can be found in a print magazine which is available around the community, or online at victoriafoundation.bc.ca.
The program includes a mix of data from a citizen survey conducted by Leger, on behalf of The Victoria Foundation, along with secondary data from a local researcher, to tell the story of what is happening in the region.
A record 5,319 people took the 2023 citizen survey. Each voice is crucial and helps shape the path forward for the community.
This year, the report is meant to inspire people to take action and identify the positive changes they can make to the region they call home. Below are the highlights from this year’s report.
Report highlights
When asked in the citizen survey about the best things about Greater Victoria, respondents scored the natural environment, climate, air quality, parks, and walkability as the top five with the highest scores.
In the report, three issue areas received grades of B: arts and culture, environmental sustainability, and sports and recreation. While no areas received an A grade, Victoria Foundation is proud of these areas and know these are great aspects to preserve and enhance in the community.
Areas for improvement
The top issues in the community, as ranked by those that took the citizen survey, include cost of living, housing, homelessness, health care and addictions. It is evident these areas will take a regional approach to fix, and that a true need for change must be top of mind for community leaders and policy makers.
Among the 12 issue areas, housing received a D grade, which reflects an improvement from the F grade it received in 2022, however, it remains an area in need of attention as the community continues to grow.
Where to get more information
The full magazine-style Vital Signs report is available online at victoriafoundation.bc.ca/vital-signs. The website includes more information from the citizen survey data produced by Leger.
You can also take a look at 84 indicators on the Victoria Foundation’s digital platform called Vital Victoria. Sponsored by the South Island Prosperity Partnership, the site delves deeper into key indicators for the community, including a long-term look at trends in all areas that shape residents’ well-being.
What’s next?
The Victoria Foundation board and staff use the Vital Signs report to set internal priorities, have conversations with donors and inform their granting programs.
It is also used for the Vital Conversation series, which dives into topics of interest in the community. Check back on the Victoria Foundation’s website for more information about upcoming Vital Conversations releases.
The Vital Victoria Podcast, hosted by Lucky Budd, is another great resource where you can hear incredible community members share their stories and dive deeper into crucial content from the Vital Signs report. Tune in at Victoriafoundation.bc.ca, or your preferred podcast platform.
