Richmond Residents Give High Rating to Recreation Services
9 May 2006
The City of Richmond scored high marks for its recreation services from the community in its 
2006 Recreation and Physical Fitness Ispos-Reid survey.
The City of Richmond contracted Ipsos-Reid to conduct a random telephone survey to get feedback on the City’s recreation programs and facilities as well as to understand resident’s activity levels, recreation behaviours and needs relating to the community’s physical fitness. The City of Richmond surpassed the municipal norm in most categories, scoring either above normal or normal.
For City services, 90 per cent of respondents said that they were either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the Richmond’s recreation facilities, which exceeded the municipal norm. The quality of recreation programs and services rated at 86 per cent exceeded the norm, while the variety of available recreation programs and services rated at 85 per cent respectively. Also equivalent to the municipal norm, scoring 69 per cent is the job the City is doing to encourage residents to become more active.
Meanwhile, the survey found Richmond residents are well on their way to active, healthy lifestyles. Of the 300 adult residents surveyed in Richmond, 63 per cent participate in moderate physical activity three or more times per week. Forty-three per cent of respondents scored walking as the most common form of physical activity and on average, the duration spent on any given activity is one hour, three to four times a week.
Health and physical health wellbeing received a rating of 47 per cent as the primary reason for participating in physical activity. When asked what helps residents become physically active, respondents replied that information, affordability and access are the most important factors while time is seen as the main barrier to participation.
In June 2005, the City joined the Province of BC, 2010 Legacies Now and other BC municipalities in a challenge to increase physical activity by 20 per cent by 2010. For more information or to download the Ipsos-Reid survey, you may download a PDF version, available at the top of this page.
