Cantabrians were happy before quake

Last updated 09:30 11/05/2011

 

Christchurch residents enjoyed their lifestyle before the February earthquake, a survey shows.

The biennial Quality of Life survey, released yesterday, said 95 per cent of Christchurch residents rated their quality of life as good or extremely good, the highest percentage among participating cities and ahead of Wellington on 94 per cent and Auckland on 92 per cent.

The survey, which measured the perceptions of more than 6000 residents in the country's eight biggest centres, was completed in Christchurch on February 21, the day before the devastating quake.

Sixty-eight per cent of Christchurch residents had a sense of pride in the way their city looked and felt, while 97 per cent felt they had easy or very easy access to parks and greenspace.

However, the city had the lowest score on perceptions of safety, with only 36 per cent feeling safe in the central city after dark.

Mayor Bob Parker said the survey results would provide important information on what residents valued as central Christchurch was rebuilt.

A Southern Cross Healthcare survey, conducted five weeks after the February quake and released this week, found Christchurch residents were the most stressed in the country.