VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The economy may be improving slightly, but your quality of life is not.

New numbers show Canadians’ well-being has actually declined significantly in recent years.

The Canadian Wellbeing Index dropped by 24 per cent between 2008, when the recession hit, and 2010. Canada’s GDP declined 8.3 per cent over the same period, with the economy beginning to turn around by the end of 2010.

The Canadian Index of Wellbeing measures a number of factors and reveals long-term declines in environment and leisure time, as well as a sharp, sudden drop in living standards.

Many people News1130 spoke with on the streets of Vancouver agree their quality of life is slipping, saying they are working harder trying to keep up with paying the bills.

“I’m worse off I would say,” says Pushpa. “Our income levels are not going up but the costs are going higher.”

But others measure quality of life a little differently.

“I’m from the States. I moved here in April and there’s a much better quality of life for me up here,” says Nick. “I don’t structure my quality of life so much on economic factors. So for me, those two things aren’t as linked as we like to think they are.”

“I’m better off, but I suspect other people are having a hard time. For me it’s more about family, I enjoy my work. I’m lucky,” adds Chris.

The trend actually tracks back two decades. Canada’s Wellbeing Index has only inched ahead 5.7 per cent despite the economy growing by almost a third since 1994.