Skip to content

Coasters safer, more content than B.C. average

Vital Signs

Sunshine Coasters feel more content and safer and have a better sense of belonging than the majority of B.C. residents, according to the 2016 Vital Signs survey.

They also love the natural beauty and scenery of the Coast, are stellar volunteers and donors and are concerned about employment, housing and the environment – in that order. Provincially, the three most important issues reported were housing, safety and transportation.

This is the first time Sunshine Coast Vital Signs survey statistics have been presented alongside B.C. statistics, thanks to a provincial effort spearheaded by the Vancouver Foundation.

Earlier this year, the Vancouver Foundation invited all 51 community foundations across B.C. to join in their 2016 Vital Signs survey, in order to get a snapshot of each community and the province as a whole.

The Sunshine Coast Community Foundation (SCCF) was eager to sign on.

SCCF board member Don Basham, who leads the team that produces the Coast’s Vital Signs surveys and reports, said it was a great opportunity because the Vancouver Foundation was footing the bill and the SCCF just had to encourage response from the public.

The online survey was available from June 14 to July 5 and thousands of British Columbians took part, answering questions based on their perceptions of things such as community safety, belonging, employment, the environment and overall quality of life.

On the Coast, the survey had good participation from the public.

“Out of the 7,000 responses provincially, we had 426 of them, which is pretty significant,” Basham said.

The SCCF provided Coast Reporter with a full report of the Sunshine Coast statistics (based on a total of 460 responses that also include the upper Sunshine Coast and Bowen Island) alongside the B.C. statistics, and they show an overall quality of life on the Coast that’s better than the provincial average, but also highlight some specific community concerns.

The survey shows that the number one thing Coasters like about where they live is the natural beauty and scenery. A total of 62 per cent of respondents said that was their number one, while just 36 per cent answered the same provincially.

The Coast ranked high on sense of belonging with 81 per cent saying it was strong, compared to 66 per cent provincially.

More Coasters volunteered (74 per cent) over the last year than the provincial average of 50 per cent, and more donated as well – 79 per cent locally compared to 67 per cent provincially.

The Coast also scored above the provincial average in safety with 86 per cent saying they felt safe walking alone at night, compared to 78 per cent across the province.

And further on the topic of safety, Coasters said they were more concerned about being attacked by a wild animal than a person. Only three per cent of local respondents said they were worried about a violent attack by a person (compared to 19 per cent provincially) and 37 per cent said they were concerned about wild animal attacks (compared to eight per cent provincially).

The Coast also got top marks on honesty with 92 per cent believing they’d get back a wallet with $100 lost in their neighbourhood. The provincial average was 70 per cent.

While most results seem to be positive, there were a few areas of concern for Coasters that came through the survey.

A total of 44 per cent of respondents pegged employment as one of the three most important issues facing the community (compared to 30 per cent provincially), 35 per cent said housing was an issue (compared to 41 per cent provincially) and 33 per cent chose the environment (compared to 24 per cent provincially).

You can find out more about the Coast’s results in a two-page report titled “A community perception of where we live” at www.sccfoundation.com. Also see pages 36 and 37 in this week’s print paper.

Basham said he hopes the survey results will help individuals and organizations tackle the areas of concern and create positive change on the Coast moving forward.

That’s the real point of the Vital Signs surveys and reports, which are compiled by community foundations across Canada at individually selected times.

Basham said the next full Vital Signs report for the Coast will be released in 2018, in advance of the municipal elections.