More Calgarians eating, shopping downtown, poll finds

A new survey says more Calgarians are heading to the downtown to shop and eat out.

The telephone poll was conducted by Ipsos Reid last October and November for the citys third Centre City Perception Survey.

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It found nearly 40 per cent of Calgarians come to the core to shop, and 47 per cent to eat lunch or dinnera 10 per cent jump since 2011.

According to the poll, most Calgarians are satisfied with the level of safety in the citys core, with nine out of 10 saying it has been steady or improved over the last year.

The number of Calgarians who say they drive to get downtown was lower than in previous surveys while the number of respondents who reported using the C-Train went up.

City planning official Dawn Thome said the results show recent investments in the core are paying off.

Centre City residents continue to tell us that they enjoy living in their community. Even those who do not live in the Centre City are spending more time taking part in activities and contributing to a vibrant core, she said in a release.

The City Centre includes the downtown and surrounding communities of Beltline, Chinatown, East Village, Connaught, Stampede Park, Victoria Crossing, Eau Claire and the West End.