From September 26 to 28, 2025, we surveyed Calgarians on the direction of their city and the upcoming municipal elections.
Some key highlights from the omnibus include…
Perceived Direction of Calgary
- Nearly six-in-ten (56%) believe Calgary is on the wrong track, while one-third (33%) believe it is headed in the right direction.
- Those aged 18-34 (43%) and likely voters (37%) are more likely to believe it is headed in the right direction.
Mayoral Election Voting Likelihood:
- 55% report they will ‘definitely’ vote, while a further 17% are ‘very likely’ to vote, for a total of 72% likely voters.
- Those aged 55+ (85%) and those with incomes of $100k+ (84%) are more likely to report they are likely to vote. These same groups are also more likely to report they will definitely vote.
Mayoral Voting Intention:
- Voting intention among Calgary residents remains divided: Farkas leads with 16% and is closely followed by Gondek with 14%. Sharp (11%), Davison (8%), and Thiessen (4%) round out the top 5 candidates.
- 35% of residents report that they are unsure or undecided regarding their voting intentions, fewer than in August 2025 (45%)
Awareness of Mayoral Candidates:
- Gondek leads in awareness with 72% and is followed by Farkas with 58%. Sharp (52%), Davison (48%), and Thiessen (39%) round out the top 5; all three have experienced significant awareness increases since August 2025.
Mayoral Candidate Approval
- Among residents aware of each candidate; Farkas leads in approval with 48% and is closely followed by Davison (47%) and Sharp (44%). Residents are less positive regarding Gondek (36%) and Thiessen (33%), though the latter has seen improvements since August 2025.
Top Voting Issues
- Lowering taxes (42%), reducing spending and fiscal restraint (27%), and reducing poverty (23%) remain the top issues cited by Calgary residents as important heading into the upcoming mayoral election.
Perceptions of Balancing Taxes with Public Services & Municipal Political Parties
- More than half (53%) believe that maintaining current tax levels and reducing public services is favourable, while only one-third (32%) are in favour of slightly increasing taxes to provide better services to citizens.
- More than half (51%) report that a candidate being part of a team/party is not important to them, while just above one-third (35%) report that it is important.
Methodology
The results for this wave of research are based on online research conducted from September 26 to September 28, 2025 with a representative sample of 490 Calgarian adults 18 years of age and older from Leger’s LEO panel.
Results were weighted according to age, gender, mother tongue, region, education and presence of children in the household in order to ensure a representative sample of the Canadian population.
A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey, but for comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size yields a margin of error no greater than ±4.4%, (19 times out of 20) for the sample.
