23 July 2014
Urban Audit - Perceptions of City Life in
the United Kingdom and Europe, 2012
Coverage: UK
Date: 23 July 2014
Geographical Area: Other area classification
Theme: Agriculture and Environment
Theme: Health and Social Care
Theme: People and Places
Theme: Population
Foreword
Urban Audit is a European Commission sponsored project to provide comparable data on urban
areas. The 2012 Perception Survey, complementary to the quantitative data, interviewed people in
79 cities (of which 6 are in the UK), asking what they think about many issues, including their city’s
built environment, cultural facilities, pollution, and safety. This article looks at data for cities to assess
how typical or otherwise perceptions in UK cities are compared with other European cities.
Summary
The survey asked people which three issues were most important for their city. Health
services, education and training, and unemployment were noted as the most important issues by
the highest proportion of people in the UK, who generally rated these higher than other European
respondents.
The UK had low percentages of people who thought that air pollution was an important issue for
their city, markedly lower than other European cities. The same was true of noise.
The survey asked about satisfaction with municipal services. UK respondents were typically
more satisfied with health services than those in other European cities. Satisfaction ranged from
77% to 91% across UK cities compared with a European median of 75%.
UK respondents’ satisfaction with the state of the streets and buildings was lower than with other
facets of UK cities. Cleanliness was also an aspect with which UK respondents were less satisfied,
although not unusually so, compared with other European cities.
Eurostat | 1
23 July 2014
The aspect of UK city life with which the highest proportions of people expressed satisfaction was
the availability of retail shops, and this was true for other European cities as well. Satisfaction with
the noise level was also high in the UK, both in absolute and relative terms.
The survey also asked about people’s attitudes to aspects of city life. Although more than
60% of UK respondents believed foreigners to be good for their city, this was mid to low ranking
compared with Europe overall. Similar proportions of UK respondents agreed that foreigners who
lived in their cities were well integrated, but on this occasion the results were high compared with the
rest of Europe where there was typically lower agreement that foreigners were well integrated.
The proportions of people who agreed that it was easy to find a job in the UK in 2012 were between
19% and 34%, although this was not unusually low compared with other European cities; however,
more than half of respondents in all UK cities said they were satisfied with their own personal job
situation.
Most people surveyed in the UK expressed satisfaction with the financial situation of their household
in 2012. All UK cities were above the European median.
All UK cities were above the European median in agreeing that their city was committed to fight
against climate change, with measures such as energy efficiency and green transport.
Introduction
Urban Audit is a European Commission funded project whose aim is to measure and improve city
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life by understanding our urban environments and sharing experiences . Comparable data on a
variety of themes are collected by individual nations and supplied to Eurostat, the statistical office of
the European Union (EU), for publication.
In parallel, Eurostat run a perception survey every three years to complement the quantitative data
collected by Urban Audit. This aims to measure quality of life in major European cities by asking
people what they think about issues such as their city’s built environment, cultural facilities, pollution
and safety.
The 2012 perception survey interviewed around 41,000 people in 79 cities chosen by Eurostat.
The UK cities featured were Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, London, Manchester, and Newcastle
upon Tyne. The surrounding area of Manchester (Greater Manchester) was also included, as
were the surrounding areas of Athens, Lisbon and Paris. The survey included the capital cities
of all countries covered, apart from Switzerland.This report looks at data for cities to assess how
typical or otherwise perceptions in UK cities are compared with other European cities. It includes
comment and charts over three themes: what is important to UK city dwellers, how satisfied they
are with various municipal services like sports centres, shops and public transport, as well as UK
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respondents' attitudes to various aspects of city life such as the presence of foreigners and the
availability of good housing at a reasonable price. These are placed in a European ranking, with
contextual information such as whether the size of city, or geographic situation appear linked to a
particular aspect of its residents’ lives.
Eurostat | 2
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Comparisons are based on responses to individual questions in this survey and do not imply that
the cities are comparable in other respects. Sometimes these comparisons are between the UK
cities and sometimes within a European context. It must be noted that the findings may differ from
other surveys, particularly given the sample size - around 500 people per city. The sampling error is
estimated by Eurostat to be no more than +/- 4.5 percentage points from the true population with a
95% confidence interval. Similarly, in order to gain comparable results across national borders, with
different languages and cultural references, the questions may be less complex than those in other
surveys. Nonetheless, this survey is a unique resource in covering such a large geographic area
and, subject to some caveats, can be a useful insight into some aspects of perceptions of city life.
Names of cities are shown in their local form except when there is a well known English version.
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Definitions of capital cities and geographical groupings are taken from Eurostat. The median is
used in this report as a typical value against which to measure specific cities.
For more information on the perception survey, including methodology and a list of the questions
and cities covered in the survey, please see Annex A.
Eurostat classifies towns and cities by size and this is detailed in table 1.
Table 1: Classifications of towns and cities by size
Eurostat label
Name in this report
Size
S
Small
50,000 – 100,000 inhabitants
M
Medium
100,000 – 250,000 inhabitants
L
Large
250,000 – 500,000 inhabitants
XL
Very large
500,000 – 1,000,000
inhabitants
XXL
1m – 5m
1,000,000 – 5,000,000
inhabitants
Global
Global
More than 5,000,000
inhabitants
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Most cities in the survey are the ‘core city’ as defined by Urban Audit. This coincides with the
administrative boundaries of a municipality.
Manchester, Lisbon, Athens and Paris also have responses from the wider surrounding area known
in Urban Audit and this report as the ‘greater city’.
Please refer to the full Urban Audit database
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Notes for Introduction
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2
For more information see the ONS Urban Audit User Guide
The definition of ‘foreign’ is according to the perception of the respondent
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The median is the middle value of a series of values when listed in size order. If the number of
items is even the median is taken to be halfway between the middle pair of values. In this report it
indicates the typical European response to the perception survey questions
Issues which were most important to city residents
The Urban Audit perception survey identified 10 issues that are of particular interest to city dwellers
and form the basis of much European urban research and policy. Respondents were asked to
choose up to three of these which they thought most important for their own city. Figure 1 shows the
four issues which were most quoted in the UK and the percentage of respondents who placed them
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in their top three .
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Figure 1: Most quoted important issues
UK cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Health services, education and training, and unemployment were noted as among the most
important issues by the highest proportion of people in most UK cities, and were generally rated
important more often in the UK than by other European respondents. In London more people put
housing rather than unemployment in their top three, but the proportion of responses was very
close at 38% and 36% respectively. Health services were quoted as a priority by at least half of
respondents in all UK cities. Belfast, at 61%, had the highest proportion of people who quoted health
services, placing them as the only UK city in the top fifth of European cities on this issue.
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Education and training were among the most important issues for all UK cities, with a narrow range
of responses, from 47% of respondents quoting it in Newcastle upon Tyne, to 54% in London and
Glasgow. Unemployment was stated as among the top three issues by at least a third of people in all
UK cities, rising to nearly half of people in Belfast, Newcastle upon Tyne and Glasgow.
UK opinion showed some variation against European attitudes on what was considered to be
important. The UK had low percentages of people who thought that air pollution was one of the three
most important issues for their city. Newcastle upon Tyne at 5% was, in fact, the lowest in Europe,
with the next closest city being Bialystok, Poland at 7%.
All UK cities except Manchester, at 15%, were among the fifth of European cities where the fewest
respondents believed air pollution to be a top issue for their city, with most UK cities being well
below the European median of 18%. Concern on this issue was considerably more marked on the
continent, with 24 cities having a least a quarter of their residents stating it was one of the three
most important issues for their city. Figure 2 shows which issues were perceived most differently in
the UK compared with European cities.
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Figure 2: Widest percentage point differences in the perceived importance of issues
UK cities and European median, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Noise was also of small concern in UK cities, ranging between 5 and 7% of respondents saying they
felt it was an important issue in their city. This placed all UK cities low in the European rankings for
placing noise among their top three issues.
When considered against the rest of Europe there were some notable responses in the UK. All UK
cities were towards the top ranking of European cities for considering education and training to be
an important issue alongside cities including Reykjavik, Iceland and Zurich, Switzerland. London
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appeared in the top fifth of European cities for considering housing to be of high importance, along
with other very large cities including Munich, Germany and Paris, France.
Safety was quoted as being an important issue by at least a quarter of people in all UK cities.
However, the figures were mid to low ranking compared with Europe as a whole. Of the UK cities
in the survey, London had the highest percentage of respondents who placed safety among their
top three issues for the city, but at 31% it was not unusual compared with a European median of
29%. Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow were among the fifth of European cities with the fewest people
expressing safety as a top concern.
Road infrastructure was also of relatively low importance in London and Belfast, compared with
Europe, with around a 10th of people putting it as one of their top concerns for the city.
Table 2 shows the data for all UK cities.
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Table 2: Most quoted important issues, percentage of respondents who quoted each option
in their top 3
UK cities, 2012
London Glasgow
Manchester Greater
Manchester
Cardiff
BelfastNewcastle European
upon median
Tyne
Health
services
(%)
54
50
50
57
54
61
53
44
Education
and
training
(%)
54
54
52
51
52
50
47
40
Unemployment
(%)
36
48
44
38
37
47
47
40
Housing
(%)
38
31
26
24
27
27
29
21
Public
transport
(%)
32
20
27
27
29
25
29
24
Safety
(%)
31
25
28
30
25
24
26
29
Social
services
(%)
13
18
16
17
19
19
17
18
9
17
13
17
22
10
15
19
12
8
15
11
8
8
5
18
Noise (%)
7
5
6
5
5
5
6
8
Don't
Know/
Non
applicable
(%)
2
2
2
3
2
2
3
2
Road
infrastructure
(%)
Air
pollution
(%)
Table source: Eurostat
Eurostat | 9
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Notes
1.
Options: Safety / Air pollution / Noise / Public transport / Health services / Social services /
Education and training / Unemployment / Housing / Road infrastructure / Don’t Know or Non
Applicable.
Satisfaction with health and education services
The Urban Audit perception survey asked respondents to express their satisfaction levels with the
facilities and features of their city. The figures here are totals of those who said they were very or
fairly satisfied. Satisfaction with various aspects of city life varied widely throughout Europe on
most questions asked in the survey, particularly air quality and cleanliness. UK cities had a much
narrower range of responses to most questions, and were generally towards the middle and top of
the European rankings for levels of satisfaction with most individual city features.
Health and education services
Satisfaction levels with health care services, doctors and hospitals were high in the UK. They ranged
from 77% in London, a little above the European median of 75%, to 91% in Newcastle upon Tyne,
which was in the top fifth of European cities. More than half of respondents in Newcastle upon Tyne
said they were very satisfied with health care services in their city. Satisfaction with health services
was very varied in Europe, from 27% in Athens, Greece to 95% in Groningen, Netherlands. All
European cities in the dataset are shown in figure 3.
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Figure 3: Percentage of respondents who expressed satisfaction with the health services in
their city
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Satisfaction levels with schools and other educational facilities were mid to high ranking in most
UK cities compared with Europe. Belfast and Newcastle upon Tyne were in the top fifth of cities
surveyed at 84% and 81% respectively. This was an aspect of city services that saw wider
differences within the UK. With 63% of London respondents stating that they were satisfied with
schools and other educational facilities, the UK capital was lower than the European median of 70%;
although other very large European cities had similar satisfaction levels to London.
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Figure 4: Percentage of respondents who expressed satisfaction with the schools and other
educational facilities in their city
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Satisfaction with physical environment
Streets, buildings and public spaces
Satisfaction with the state of the streets and buildings in UK cities ranged from 64% in Glasgow
to 72% in London, Belfast and Cardiff. These values were mid ranking compared with Europe,
which saw a wide range of responses from 22% of respondents expressing satisfaction with the
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state of the streets and buildings in Naples, Italy to 92% in Zurich, Switzerland. Although typical
compared within Europe the UK results for satisfaction with the state of the streets and buildings
were markedly lower than with other aspects of UK cities. Across all UK cities a relatively high
proportion of respondents, at least 10%, said that they were not at all satisfied with the state of the
streets and buildings.
Figure 5: Percentage of respondents who expressed satisfaction with the state of the streets
and buildings in their city
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Eurostat | 13
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Cleanliness was also an aspect with which UK respondents were less satisfied than with other
features of their city. The range of responses in the UK was wider on this issue than others, from
53% in Glasgow to 73% in Cardiff. Within Europe there was also a wide range of responses, with
satisfaction about cleanliness as low as 11% in Palermo, Italy and as high as 95% in Oviedo, Spain.
Figure 6: Percentage of respondents who expressed satisfaction with the cleanliness of their
city
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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The Urban Audit perception survey asked people whether they were satisfied with public spaces
such as markets, squares and pedestrian areas. Respondents in UK cities expressed fairly high
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satisfaction levels in absolute terms at between 74% in Newcastle upon Tyne and 87% in Cardiff,
but were mostly mid to lower ranking in Europe where higher proportions of people replied that they
were satisfied with their city’s public spaces and the typical response was 79%.
Figure 7: Percentage of respondents who expressed satisfaction with their city’s public
spaces such as markets, squares and pedestrian areas
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Satisfaction with green spaces such as parks and gardens was also surveyed, and Cardiff was
in the top fifth of European cities at 89%, comparable with Rennes, France. All UK cities had
satisfaction levels of 80% or more on this aspect of city life, mid to high ranking compared with a
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European median of 81%. More than half of respondents in Cardiff and London said that they were
very satisfied with the green spaces in their city.
Figure 8: Percentage of respondents who expressed satisfaction with their city’s green
spaces such as parks and gardens
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Pollution
Satisfaction with air quality in the UK was mid to high compared with European cities, but results
varied widely within the UK, as they did in Europe. Although London was lower than other UK cities,
with 64% satisfaction level with air quality, it was near the typical European response of 62%, which
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is notable because capital cities were generally lower in the European rankings; among the 20%
least satisfied cities, nine were EU capitals. However, 10% of London respondents said they were
not at all satisfied with air quality, among the highest dissatisfaction levels of any aspect of their
city life. Paris, France, recorded 33% satisfaction with its air quality, much lower than London; and
twice as many, 20% of Parisian respondents, were very unsatisfied with their city’s air quality. In the
UK Newcastle upon Tyne had the highest proportion of respondents who were satisfied with the air
quality, 90%, making it the second highest in Europe, after Rostock in Germany.
It is important to note that the perception and reality of air quality can differ widely. Eurostat also
publish quantitative data on actual air quality. More information is available in another report in this
series: Urban Audit - Comparing United Kingdom and European towns and cities, 2011.
Figure 9: Percentage of respondents who expressed satisfaction with the quality of the air in
their city
European cities, 2012
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Source: Eurostat
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As noted earlier, noise was not generally ranked among the three most important issues by UK
respondents in the perception survey and this possibly reflects the fact that satisfaction with the
noise level was high in the UK, both in absolute and relative terms. A fifth of European cities had
satisfaction levels below 50%. Although London had the lowest UK satisfaction level with noise,
at 73% this was above the European median of 67%, and ranked alongside other much smaller
capital cities including Copenhagen, Denmark and Ljubljana, Slovenia. All other UK cities were in
the top fifth of European cities for satisfaction with noise levels. At 88%, Newcastle upon Tyne had
the highest proportion of respondents in Europe who were satisfied with the noise levels in their city.
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Figure 10: Percentage of respondents who expressed satisfaction with the noise level in their
city
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Satisfaction with transport and sports, cultural and retail facilities
Public transport
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At least 70% of all UK respondents stated that they were satisfied with public transport in their city
and UK cities were mid to high ranking compared with Europe, where around a quarter of cities had
satisfaction levels of 80% or higher. London was in the top fifth of European cities for satisfaction
with its public transport, with 84% of respondents expressing satisfaction, similar to Oslo, Norway
and Munich, Germany. Half of London respondents said they were very satisfied with the city’s
public transport.
Figure 11: Percentage of respondents who expressed satisfaction with the public transport of
their city
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Sports, cultural and retail facilities
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Satisfaction with sports facilities such as sport fields and indoor sport halls was fairly high in the UK.
Cardiff, at 78%, was in the top fifth of European cities. The lowest satisfaction with sports facilities
in the UK was notably lower in London at 64%. This was much closer to the median European
response of 66% and similar to very large cities such as Berlin, Germany and Barcelona, Spain.
Figure 12: Percentage of respondents who expressed satisfaction with their city’s sports
facilities such as sport fields and indoor sport halls
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Cultural facilities like concert halls, theatres, museums and libraries had high satisfaction ratings,
both within the UK and Europe. All UK cities had ratings over 70%. The European median was 82%,
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and only one city, Valletta, Malta, had fewer than 50% of respondents who were satisfied with their
cultural facilities. Cardiff was in the top fifth of European cities for satisfaction with cultural facilities.
Figure 13: Percentage of respondents who expressed satisfaction with their city’s cultural
facilities like concert halls, theatres, museums and libraries
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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The aspect of UK city life with which the highest proportions of people expressed satisfaction was
the availability of retail shops. This was true for European cities as well, where the lowest, Lisbon
(greater city), Portugal and Madrid, Spain still had around two thirds of respondents expressing
satisfaction with their shopping facilities. The European median was 85%, and there was a much
smaller range of responses for this question than others in the perception survey.
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Newcastle upon Tyne was in the bottom fifth of European cities for satisfaction with shopping.
However, with 80% of Newcastle upon Tyne respondents expressing satisfaction with this aspect
of their city, this is still a high proportion in absolute terms. Cardiff was the UK city with the highest
percentage of respondents who were satisfied with the availability of retail shops, 93%.
Figure 14: Percentage of respondents who expressed satisfaction with their city’s availability
of retail shops
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Eurostat | 23
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Attitudes of UK and European city respondents towards foreigners
Respondents were asked how strongly they agreed with different statements about how they
perceive aspects of life in their city. The results here are the total of those who said they strongly or
somewhat agreed.
Foreigners
The Urban Audit perception survey asked people to express whether they agreed with two
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statements about foreigners living in European cities: ‘The presence of foreigners is good for [City
Name]’ and ‘Foreigners who live in [City Name] are well integrated’.
It is important to note that the word ‘foreigners’ has no statistical definition and that the survey
results will reflect the respondents’ perceptions of the word. These may vary between individuals
and also between different local area contexts. It is beyond the scope of this report to fully assess all
the local area contexts or cultural interpretations that may impact on the results. However, data are
available in the main Urban Audit database that could provide some context to the results shown, for
example data on nationality.
The percentage of UK respondents who agreed that the presence of foreigners was good for their
city ranged from 62% in Greater Manchester to 75% in Belfast. Levels of agreement with this
statement were high in Europe with a typical 73% agreement response. The majority of respondents
viewed the presence of foreigners as positive in all but five cities (Athens, Greece; Lefkosia, Cyprus;
Liège, Belgium; Irakleio, Greece and Turin, Italy). UK cities were mid to low ranking compared with
Europe in believing foreigners to be good for their city. Greater Manchester was among the fifth of
Europe cities where fewest people agreed with this statement.
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Figure 15: Percentage of respondents who agreed with the statement ‘The presence of
foreigners is good for [City Name]’
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Similar proportions of people in UK surveyed cities felt that foreigners were well integrated, from
58% in London and Greater Manchester to 66% in Cardiff and Glasgow. However, the typical
response in Europe for this statement was lower than for believing foreigners to be good for the city
at 54%. UK cities, with more than half of respondents believing foreigners to be well integrated, were
high ranking in Europe; Cardiff and Glasgow were in the top fifth of European cities.
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Figure 16: Percentage of respondents who agreed with the statement ‘Foreigners who live in
[City Name] are well integrated’
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Notes
1.
The definition of ‘foreign’ is according to the perception of the respondent
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Attitudes of UK and European city respondents towards safety
Safety
People’s perception of their urban environment’s safety was measured through two statements: ‘I
feel safe in [City Name]’ and ‘I feel safe in my neighbourhood’.
The percentage of respondents who felt safer in their neighbourhood than the city was higher in
all UK cities, and this characteristic was reflected throughout Europe. Just four Urban Audit cities
saw the opposite response with higher proportions feeling safer in the city, but these were small
differences. In the UK, percentages of people who felt safe in the city ranged from 71% in London to
84% in Newcastle upon Tyne. For neighbourhood safety the figures ranged from 77% in London and
Manchester to 88% in Belfast.
Compared with Europe these results were quite typical. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there appears to be
a strong relationship between feeling safe in one’s neighbourhood and the city; however there were
still marked absolute differences in some European cities, notably Marseille, France and Athens
(greater city), Greece, where there was a 35 and 36 percentage point difference respectively. The
largest difference in the UK was in Greater Manchester, with a 12 percentage point difference.
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Figure 17: Percentage of respondents who agreed with the statement ‘I feel safe in [CITY
NAME]’
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Figure 18: Percentage of respondents who agreed with the statement ‘I feel safe in my
neighbourhood’
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Attitudes of UK and European city respondents towards employment
Employment
The Urban Audit perception survey asked two questions relating to employment. Firstly, respondents
were asked to agree or otherwise with the statement that ‘It is easy to find a job in [City Name]’.
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Secondly they were asked ‘On the whole, are you very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied or
not at all satisfied with your personal job situation?’
The proportions of people who agreed that it was easy to find a job in UK cities were low, ranging
from 19% in Newcastle upon Tyne to 34% in London. Relatively few people in Europe thought it
was easy to find a job in their city. Only nine cities had more than half of people who agreed with the
statement. UK cities were mid to low ranking in Europe on this measure.
Figure 19: Percentage of respondents who agreed with the statement ‘It is easy to find a job
in [City Name]’
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Eurostat | 30
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Asked the second question, people’s opinion of the labour market was quite different; more than
half of respondents in all UK cities said they were satisfied with their own personal job situation.
The lowest proportion in the UK was seen in Manchester at 58%. The highest percentage of people
satisfied with their personal job situation was in Cardiff at 66%. The UK results were typical of
European cities generally where the median was 62%.
Figure 20: Percentage of respondents who said that they were satisfied with their personal
job situation
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Attitudes of UK and European city respondents towards personal finance and
housing
Personal finance and housing
Most people surveyed in the UK expressed satisfaction with the financial situation of their household
in 2012. All cities were above the European median of 70%, ranging from 71% of respondents in
Manchester to 79% of respondents in Cardiff. European responses were much more varied, from
24% in Athens, Greece to 91% in Aalborg, Denmark.
Figure 21: Percentage of respondents who said that they were satisfied with the financial
situation of their household
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
Eurostat | 32
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The statement that ‘It is easy to find good housing at a reasonable price in [City Name]’ prompted
notably different levels of agreement between respondents in UK cities. London had the fewest
people who agreed that reasonably priced housing was easy to find. The UK capital was in the
bottom fifth of surveyed European cites for perceived housing affordability with 12% of respondents
agreeing with the statement; just 2% of people strongly agreed. This is reflective of other European
capital cities, 11 of which featured in the 20% of perceived least affordable cities.
Although Newcastle upon Tyne and Belfast were in the 20% of perceived most affordable European
cities, the levels of agreement were not overwhelming, at 54% and 56% respectively.
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Figure 22: Percentage of respondents who agreed with the statement ‘It is easy to find good
housing at a reasonable price in [CITY NAME]’
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Attitudes of UK and European city respondents towards public administration
Public Administration
Levels of confidence in UK cities’ governance were measured in the perception survey by asking
whether people thought their city’s public administration could be trusted. More than 60% of
respondents in all UK cities surveyed agreed that it could be trusted, the lowest proportion being in
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London at 61%, the highest in Belfast at 69%. The Urban Audit median was 62%, but the range of
responses in Europe was very wide, with a low of 24% in Palermo, Italy and a high of 87% in Zurich,
Switzerland and Luxembourg.
Figure 23: Percentage of respondents who agreed with the statement ‘Generally speaking,
the public administration of [CITY NAME] can be trusted’
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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The survey also asked whether the administrative services of the city help people efficiently. Cardiff,
Manchester and Belfast had relatively high proportions of people who agreed that they did, between
68 and 70%, placing them in the top fifth of European cities for this measure. All other UK cities saw
more than 60% of people agreeing that their public administration helped people efficiently, with the
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exception of London which had the lower figure of 56%. London was similar to the other global city
in the perception survey, Paris, which reported 52%.
Figure 24: Percentage of respondents who agreed with the statement ‘The administrative
services of [CITY NAME] help people efficiently’
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Attitudes of UK and European city respondents towards the environment
Environment
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The survey asked people whether they agreed that their city was committed to fight against climate
change, with measures such as energy efficiency and green transport. All UK cities were above
the European median of 55%. Cardiff and Manchester were in the fifth of European cities which
had the highest proportions of respondents who agreed with this statement, with 64 and 70%
respectively. There was wide variation in results at a European level, from 28% in Rome, Italy to
81% in Strasbourg and Bordeaux, France.
Figure 25: Percentage of respondents who agreed with the statement ‘[CITY NAME] is
committed to fight against climate change (e.g.: energy efficiency, green transport)'
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Eurostat | 37
23 July 2014
Overall satisfaction with UK cities
Proportions of people who said they were satisfied with the place where they lived were high in UK
cities, most being around the European median of 92%.
There was variation within the results when looking at degrees of satisfaction. Respondents could
say whether they were very or fairly satisfied, not very or not at all satisfied. Between 45 and 57%
of respondents in all UK cities said they were very satisfied with the place they live. Between 4 and
9% of people in UK cities said they were not very satisfied. Proportions of people who were not at all
satisfied ranged between 2 and 5% in all surveyed UK cities. These figures were typical of European
cities where the median response for ‘not very satisfied’ was 6% and the median response for ‘not at
all satisfied’ was 2%.
London and Manchester had slightly lower satisfaction levels than other UK cities and the European
median, at 87%. It is worth pointing out that London is defined by Eurostat as global (more than 5m
people); the closest European comparator is Paris, France. The overall satisfaction level of Parisian
respondents was close to London at 88%.
Although London and Manchester were just within the bottom fifth of European cities for overall city
satisfaction in this survey, they were not substantially below other UK cities or the European median
of 92%. The highest proportions of respondents who expressed satisfaction with the place they lived
in the UK were in Newcastle upon Tyne and Greater Manchester at 93%.
In Europe, the highest proportion of surveyed city respondents who expressed satisfaction with their
place of residence was in Reykjavik, Iceland, 98%, and the lowest in Athens, Greece, 56%. More
than 50 European cities had proportions of 90% or higher.
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Figure 26: Percentage of respondents who expressed satisfaction with the place where they
lived
European cities, 2012
Source: Eurostat
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Background notes
1.
Details of the policy governing the release of new data are available by visiting
www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/code-of-practice/index.html or from the Media
Relations Office email: [email protected]
Eurostat | 39
23 July 2014
Copyright
© Crown copyright 2014
You may use or re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format
or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ or write to the Information Policy Team,
The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected].
This document is also available on our website at www.ons.gov.uk.
Appendices
Annex A
Table 3: Countries and their capital cities covered in Urban Audit V
EU locations where the survey was conducted (from 15/11/2012 to 7/12/2012)
Country
City
English name
Belgium (BE)
Bruxelles / Brussel
Brussels
Antwerpen
Antwerp
Liège
Bulgaria (BG)
Sofia
Burgas
Czech Republic (CZ)
Praha
Prague
Ostrava
Denmark (DK)
København
Copenhagen
Aalborg
Germany (DE)
Berlin
Hamburg
München
Munich
Essen
Leipzig
Dortmund
Rostock
Estonia (EE)
Tallinn
Greece (EL)
Athina
Athens
Athina (greater city)
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Country
City
English name
Irakleio
Spain (ES)
Madrid
Barcelona
Málaga
Oviedo
France (FR)
Paris
Paris (greater city)
Strasbourg
Bordeaux
Lille
Rennes
Marseille
Ireland (IE)
Dublin
Italy (IT)
Roma
Rome
Napoli
Naples
Torino
Turin
Palermo
Bologna
Verona
Republic of Cyprus (CY)
Lefkosia
Latvia (LV)
Riga
Lithuania (LT)
Vilnius
Luxembourg (LU)
Luxembourg
Hungary (HU)
Budapest
Miskolc
Malta (MT)
Valletta
Netherlands (NL)
Amsterdam
Rotterdam
Groningen
Austria (AT)
Wien
Vienna
Graz
Poland (PL)
Warszawa
Warsaw
Kraków
Krakow
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Country
City
English name
Gdansk
Bialystok
Portugal (PT)
Lisboa
Lisbon
Lisboa (greater city)
Braga
Romania (RO)
Bucuresti
Bucharest
Cluj-Napoca
Piatra Neamt
Slovenia (SI)
Ljubljana
Slovakia (SK)
Bratislava
Kosice
Finland (FI)
Helsinki / Helsingfors
Oulu / Uleåborg
Sweden (SE)
Stockholm
Malmö
United Kingdom (UK)
London
Cardiff
Glasgow
Belfast
Newcastle upon Tyne
Manchester
Manchester (greater city)
Greater Manchester
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Eurostat | 42
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Table 4: Countries and their capital cities covered in Urban Audit V
Non-EU locations where the survey was conducted (from 15/11/2012 to 7/12/2012)
Country
City
Croatia (HR)
Zagreb
Turkey (TR)
Ankara
English name
Antalya
Diyarbakir
Istanbul
Iceland (IS)
Reykjavik
Norway (NO)
Oslo
Switzerland (CH)
Zürich
Zurich
Genève
Geneva
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Capital cities, shown in blue, Eurostat definition, p267-276
Definitions align with the new OECD-EC definitions of cities, greater cities and commuting zones
established in 2011
Please see Geographical groupings, p11-12
Methodology
Eurostat contract the Perception Survey to professional survey companies every three years. The
data are collected over a three week period. This round was conducted by TNS Political & Social
network in the then 27 Member States of the European Union, as well as Croatia, Iceland, Norway,
Switzerland and Turkey, between 15 November and 7 December 2012.
The sample was selected from all geographic areas in each city, and was socially and
demographically representative of the population aged 15 and over. Interviews were by phone in
the respondents’ main language. In the UK at least three quarters of respondents were either born
in their city or had lived there 10 years or more. More than 90% of respondents were British, or in
Belfast, British or Irish.
Sampling error: Eurostat expect the results to be no more than +/- 4.5 percentage points from the
true population with a 95% confidence interval.
Eurostat classifies towns and cities by size and this is detailed in table 5.
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Table 5: Classifications of towns and cities by size
Eurostat label
Name in this report
Size
S
Small
50,000 – 100,000 inhabitants
M
Medium
100,000 – 250,000 inhabitants
L
Large
250,000 – 500,000 inhabitants
XL
Very large
500,000 – 1,000,000
inhabitants
XXL
1m – 5m
1,000,000 – 5,000,000
inhabitants
Global
Global
More than 5,000,000
inhabitants
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Quality of Life in European Cities
Perception Survey on quality of life in European Cities, Analytical report
Eurostat Perception Survey, European report and data
Questions in 2012:
Q1 Generally speaking, please tell me if you are very satisfied, rather satisfied, rather
unsatisfied or not at all satisfied with each of the following issues in [CITY NAME]?
ANSWERS: Very satisfied / Fairly satisfied / Not very satisfied / Not at all satisfied / DK/NA
1
Public transport, for example the bus, tram or metro
Health care services, doctors and hospitals
Sports facilities such as sport fields and indoor sport halls
Cultural facilities such as concert halls, theatres, museums and libraries
The state of the streets and buildings in your neighbourhood
Public spaces such as markets, squares, pedestrian areas
Green spaces such as parks and gardens
Availability of retail shops
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Schools and other educational facilities
The quality of the air
The noise level
Cleanliness
Q2 I will read you a few statements. Please tell me whether you strongly agree, somewhat
agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree with each of these statements?
ANSWERS: Strongly agree / Somewhat agree / Somewhat disagree / Strongly disagree / DK/NA
I am satisfied to live in [CITY NAME]
It is easy to find a job in [CITY NAME]
The presence of foreigners is good for [CITY NAME]
Foreigners who live in [CITY NAME] are well integrated
It is easy to find good housing at a reasonable price in [CITY NAME]
The administrative services of [CITY NAME] help people efficiently
I feel safe in [CITY NAME]
I feel safe in my neighbourhood
[CITY NAME] is committed to fight against climate change (e.g.: energy efficiency, green transport)
Generally speaking, most people in [CITY NAME] can be trusted
Generally speaking, most people in my neighbourhood can be trusted
Generally speaking, the public administration of [CITY NAME] can be trusted
Q3 On the whole, are you very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied or not at all
satisfied with...?
ANSWERS: Very satisfied / Fairly satisfied / Not very satisfied / Not at all satisfied / DK/NA
Your personal job situation
The financial situation of your household
The life you lead
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The place where you live
Q4 In your opinion, among the following issues, which are the three most important for [CITY
NAME]?
(MAX. 3 ANSWERS)
Safety Air pollution Noise / Public transport / Health services / Social services / Education and
training / Unemployment / Housing / Road infrastructure / DK/NA
Notes
1.
DK/NA means Don't Know or No Answer.
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