More than half of Calgarians say their quality of life has declined in the past three years, blaming overpopulation, the cost of living and soaring housing costs, a new poll shows.

And Mayor Dave Bronconnier said he's disturbed by Calgarians' changing views on life in the city.

"It's tanking," he said. "It all boils down to growth. They'll tell you, 'The buses are too full, the roads are too clogged, I can't get a school, I can't find a doctor.' "

The survey, conducted by Ipsos-Reid for the city, asked 1,000 citizens about quality of life, levels of taxation and other municipal issues.

Nearly eight of 10 respondents rated their overall quality of life as good, but an increasing number of Calgarians -- 51 per cent -- suggested it has worsened since 2003. Less than a third of Calgarians were concerned about the same issue in last year's survey.

"In short, it's the double-sided effects of growth," Peter Weylie, vice-president of Ipsos-Reid, said in an interview.

"So, while for some people there are tremendous benefits of living in Calgary while it's a growing, booming city . . . there is also another side to it."

Weylie said Calgarians surveyed were asked to give the top three reasons why quality of life in the city had worsened.

Forty-two per cent of those surveyed said the city is overpopulated, while 19 per cent said traffic congestion is a major issue. Another 19 per cent rated increased crime as the reason for their deteriorating quality of life.

Other issues ranged from the lack of services to the high cost of housing.

Ald. Linda Fox-Mellway, whose ward is located in south Calgary, said residents in her area are noticing increased traffic and longer commutes.

"That affects their quality of life," she said, suggesting the city is trying to address the issues as quickly as possible.

But Fox-Mellway said the population is growing way too fast to keep up.

Calgary's population hit one million in July -- and it continues to grow by about 97 people each day.

Bronconnier, who used the survey to continue lobbying the province for more money to help the cash-strapped city pay for infrastructure, said it's been difficult to keep up with the growth.

"In the last 10 years, we've added Regina -- the size of the city of Regina -- to our community and we're asking (the new residents) to share the infrastructure that is already here," he said. "That's the frustration."

Still, the survey was mostly positive, with a clear majority of respondents satisfied with city services such as fire, water quality and garbage collection. Nine out of 10 Calgarians were satisfied with the city's overall performance.

The top issues raised in the survey were transportation, transit, safety, education, health care, homelessness and growth.

While the city noted it was the highest homelessness ever ranked, Weylie said the issue wasn't as high on Calgarians' radar as their own housing situation.

"It's just the idea that when it is booming, housing has gone up tremendously -- and that used to be something Calgarians were very proud of . . .