Quality of life in Bristol

What the Bristol Quality of Life survey is, the link to the current survey, the equalities report and results from previous surveys.

Quality of Life Survey 2026

Bristol's Quality of Life Survey 2026 is now open. A letter has been sent to 33,000 randomly selected households. If you've been sent a letter asking you to take part, please complete the survey here: 

Complete the surveyOn SmartSurvey


The closing date is Sunday 1 November 2026.

If you'd prefer a paper copy, these will be sent to everyone in the random sample towards the end of September, unless already completed online.

Our  pdf privacy notice(235 KB)  explains how we process your data.

Easy read version and alternative formats

The Easy Read version of the survey uses simple words, pictures and big text. 

You can also request an alternative format for the survey, for example:

  • large print
  • braille
  • British Sign Language
  • a different language

If you need this in large print or an alternative format, or to opt out of this survey, email qol@bristol.gov.uk or call 0117 922 2980 and leave a message.

Waxaad codsan kartaa qaabab kale oo dukumeentigan ah adigoo la xiriiraya qol@bristol.gov.uk ama 0117 922 2980

Mozesz poprosic o alternatywne formaty tego dokumentu, kontaktujac sie z qol@bristol.gov.uk lub 0117 922 2980

Pute.i solicita formate alternative ale acestui document contactând qol@bristol.gov.uk sau 0117 922 2980

يمكنك طلب تنسيقات بديلة لهذا المستند عن طريق االتصال بـ
qol@bristol.gov.uk
أو
0117 922 2980

تاسو کولی شئ د دې سند بديل فارميټونو غوښتنه وکړئ
qol@bristol.gov.uk
يا
0117 922 2980

What the Quality of Life survey is

The Quality of Live survey gives local residents an opportunity to voice their opinions about issues close to their hearts and their views on local public services. 

It has been an annual survey since 2001, but does change over time.  The statistics are analysed to a ward level and also equality groups such as age, sex and ethnicity.

The results are used by us, health services and other public sector partners to help plan local services, track change and improve the quality of life in Bristol.

The survey is our main tool for providing neighbourhood level statistics and public perception information.

The quality of life results cover topics such as:

  • health
  • lifestyles
  • community
  • local services
  • public perception about living in Bristol

Quality of Life survey 2024 to 2025: final report 

The Quality of Life (QoL) survey provides an annual snapshot of the quality of life in Bristol.

Headlines from the 2024 survey are available in the pdf Quality of Life 2024 to 2025 final report(1.21 MB)  including:

  • how 50 headline measures of lived experiences for people in Bristol have changed over the last few years, and how these experiences differ in the most deprived areas
  • a summary of 'actions to improve quality of life' that people want to see in Bristol
  • a new appendix with a summary of all QoL 2024 to 2025 indicators with a focus on ward and demographic group results

In addition, full results from the survey are available in the Quality of Life 2024/25 data dashboard.

This includes over QoL indicators (almost 50 new for 2024/25), with trend data for each level reported where available. These are shown by:

  • citywide trend
  • all 34 Bristol wards
  • over 30 equality and demographic groups
  • the 10 deciles of deprivation within Bristol
  • the NHS Integrated Care Service (ICS) Locality Partnerships, now including trend data

The dashboard shows indicators, wards and equality and demographic groups that are better or worse than the Bristol average.

There are now over 97,000 data points, including trend data, which gives us a rich and detailed view of citizen perception in Bristol.

Quality of Life survey 2024 to 2025: equalities report 

Results for 17 demographic groups are available in the  pdf Quality of Life Equalities Report 2024 to 2025(1.18 MB) including:

  • summary of indicators which are significantly different (worse or better) for each demographic group compared with Bristol overall
  • how priorities (actions to improve quality of life) for each demographic group might differ from the general population

Previous Quality of Life results

You can view previous results from 2018 via the new Quality of Life 2024/25 data dashboard, and full data from 2015 onwards is in the Quality of Life theme on Open Data Bristol.

Previous Quality of Life reports and data for 2005 onward are also still available:

Downloadable files

pdf Quality of Life in Bristol 2015 - 2016 report Go to index.php?option=com_docman&view=document&alias=1953-results-of-quality-of-life-in-bristol-survey-2015-to-2016&category_slug=documents&Itemid=159 (opens new window)(6.37 MB)
Quality of Life in Bristol 2014 - 15 report Go to index.php?option=com_docman&view=document&alias=1952-quality-of-life-in-bristol-2014-15-report-final&category_slug=documents&Itemid=159 (opens new window)
Quality of Life in Bristol 2013 - 14 report Go to index.php?option=com_docman&view=document&alias=1951-qol2014final&category_slug=documents&Itemid=159 (opens new window)
Quality of Life in Bristol 2012 - 13 report Go to index.php?option=com_docman&view=document&alias=1950-qol2013-report-0-0&category_slug=documents&Itemid=159 (opens new window)
Quality of Life in Bristol 2011 - 12 report Go to index.php?option=com_docman&view=document&alias=1949-qol2012-v6&category_slug=documents&Itemid=159 (opens new window)
Quality of Life in Bristol 2010 - 11 report Go to index.php?option=com_docman&view=document&alias=1948-iqol-2011-finalv2&category_slug=documents&Itemid=159 (opens new window)
Quality of Life in Bristol 2009 - 10 report Go to index.php?option=com_docman&view=document&alias=1947-quality-of-life-in-bristol-2009-0&category_slug=documents&Itemid=159 (opens new window)
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