For Immediate Release
Engage Nova Scotia invites residents to complete the Nova Scotia Quality of Life Survey
Postcard invitations to arrive in mailboxes beginning February 23rd…
Halifax, Nova Scotia - February 3, 2026 - Engage Nova Scotia, in collaboration with the Canadian Index of Wellbeing, is excited to launch the Nova Scotia Quality of Life Survey. Every household across the province will receive an invitation to complete the survey. The survey provides an opportunity to tell a more complete story of wellbeing in Nova Scotia which can help inform decision making, drive impactful change, and improve local communities.
The survey data offers insights into how Nova Scotians are doing across 8 domains of wellbeing, and will also provide a comparison from the last survey in 2019. The dataset collected in the 2019 survey is the largest of its kind on quality of life in Canada. With this data, we are better able to build local understanding on issues like affordability, disability, gender, equity, housing, community health and climate change. The expanded data from the 2026 survey will help to inform what was happening in Nova Scotia pre and post pandemic.
“Learning the stories and lived experiences of Nova Scotians - from all communities and all backgrounds - will have a profound impact in understanding their hopes, dreams and challenges in these times,” says Danny Graham, Chief Engagement Officer at Engage Nova Scotia. “We encourage Nova Scotians to share their stories to help us gain deeper insights into the wellbeing of our communities and create momentum for a stronger Nova Scotia.”
“The dataset is an exceptional opportunity for researchers, decision makers, governments at the provincial, municipal and federal levels to build on an evidence-based foundation to work together to improve quality of life and living standards for everyone,” adds Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed, Board Chair at Engage Nova Scotia.
Quick Facts:
The survey asks over 200 questions about your quality of life and takes between 30 to 60 minutes to complete.
We ask questions that matter to Nova Scotians. From time with your family, to paying your bills, to experiences with loneliness.
The survey is anonymous. No identifying information such as names or addresses are collected.
Initial findings are expected to be released in the latter part of 2026 and will be shared on our website: engagenovascotia.ca
Survey data is accessible to all through our Wellbeing Mapping tool.
About Engage Nova Scotia:
Engage Nova Scotia is a non-profit, independent organization that works with partners to advance the quality of life of all Nova Scotia residents. We believe everyone should be included to share their story, seed our future, and influence change to improve their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of their communities. Engage has been a respected presenter on quality of life issues at the United Nations, the OECD, and international and national conferences. We work closely with local municipalities and organizations across the province and equip them with previously unknowable or ignored information to address longstanding challenges. For more information, visit our website.
About the Canadian Index of Wellbeing:
The Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW), housed at the University of Waterloo, is Canada’s leading non-government wellbeing research organization whose conceptual framework on wellbeing provides the basis for the Nova Scotia Quality of Life Survey. Since 2011, the CIW has been reporting on the wellbeing of Canadians and administering its Community Wellbeing Survey across Canada, including in 2019 with Engage Nova Scotia when almost 13,000 Nova Scotia residents responded to the inaugural quality of life survey.
For interview requests and further information, please contact:
Deirdre Rowland, Engage Nova Scotia
Communications Strategist
T: (782) 294-0245