London hailed as world’s ‘city of choice’ in quality of life report
London has topped the rankings out of 80 cities around the globe for a higher quality of life and social capital, according to a new report.
The mammoth survey by Boston Consulting Group analysed responses from 25,000 residents in 80 cities around the world and using over 150 metrics.
The UK’s capital won the title for a variety of factors including its diverse leisure scene, with around 250 restaurants per 100,000 people – compared to 150 in New York.
Inclusivity was another key contributor. BCG also found that almost 70 per cent of female respondents said Londoners had equal opportunities regardless of their gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or other factors – the average across the next top five cities (New York, Helsinki, Copenhagen, and Abu Dhabi) was just 51 per cent.
The transport network also helped the capital climb the ranks. While a fifth of residents in the other top-five cities said their regular station was too far from their home or office, less than 10 per cent said the same for London.
“Social capital” which helped London top the list, included factors such as residents’ social connections, equality, identifying with culture and history, and a sense of safety. Those factors were put to the test as a result in the spring of 2020, when the survey was conducted and at the start of the pandemic and global lockdowns.
Although it topped the list the report found that the pace of change in London was slower than most other cities – with only Helsinki, Vienna and Zurich faring worse among the 10 leading cities in the study.
“There is no doubt that living environment in cities is a major contributor to people’s happiness, as it affects factors that drive it, from physiological needs to social integration,” said BCG Henderson Institute Fellow Vladislav Boutenko.
“Research shows,” wrote BCG managing director Armin Lohr, in the report, “that liveability and happiness drive talent attraction and in return economic development.”