Immigrants' perceptions of quality of life in three second- or third-tier Canadian cities

Key Messages The majority of immigrants in Canada live in the country's largest cities; however, many immigrants are choosing to reside in smaller centres, suggesting the need for further research regarding the immigrant experience in second‐ and third‐tier Canadian cities. This study found that immigrants have lower perceptions of quality of life than Canadian‐born individuals, a finding that echoes research in first‐tier cities. Issues of employment, income, and language barriers contribute to lower quality of life amongst immigrants. There has been a call for further research regarding immigrant experience in second‐ and third‐tier Canadian cities. This study examines perceptions of immigrant quality of life (QOL) in three smaller urban areas: 1) Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; 2) Hamilton, Ontario; and, 3) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The underlying objective is to further our knowledge of immigrants' perceptions of QOL in these smaller centres and, in so doing, contribute to the understanding of immigrant integration and adaptation. This article employed a mixed‐methods approach consisting of a household‐based telephone survey (n=1,529) and a series of focus groups (n=11). Four components of QOL were examined: 1) overall perceptions of QOL, 2) the direction in which research respondents feel their city is headed, 3) perceptions of the quality of schools and recreation programs in the research respondent's neighbourhood, and 4) cultural integration. The research found that immigrants have lower perceptions of QOL than Canadian‐born individuals, a finding that echoes research into immigrant QOL in the country's largest urban centres. Résumé Les perceptions par les immigrants de la qualité de vie dans trois villes canadiennes de deuxième et troisième rang On a réclamé des travaux de recherche portant sur l'expérience des immigrants dans des villes canadiennes de deuxième et troisième rang. Cette étude s'intéresse aux perceptions de la qualité de vie des immigrants dans trois milieux urbains de petite taille : 1) Charlottetown, Île‐du‐Prince‐Édouard; 2) Hamilton, Ontario; et, 3) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Elle a pour principal objet de contribuer à l'avancement des connaissances sur la perception de la qualité de vie (QdV) par des immigrants vivant dans ces petits centres urbains et, ce faisant, contribuer à la compréhension de l'intégration et de l'adaptation des nouveaux arrivants. L'étude a privilégié une méthodologie mixte : un sondage téléphonique men