This working paper identifies the main factors that determine city-life satisfaction across Europe. Data come from the 2019 survey launched by the European Commission on the quality of life in European cities and cover 83 cities located in the European Union, European Free Trade Association countries and the United Kingdom.
Based on around 58 000 responses to the survey, we quantify the relative importance of the various factors affecting overall satisfaction with city life, thus offering novel insights to shape evidence-based urban policies. The main results show that three main policy areas contribute to higher satisfaction with life in European cities:
(1) satisfaction with amenities; (2) safety and trust; and (3) inclusiveness.
Socioeconomic factors are generally not statistically relevant, with the exception of labour market insecurity. This analysis shows that policies that improve a city’s amenities, its inclusivity and its safety are likely to also increase the residents’ satisfaction with living in that city. In the European Union, cohesion policy funds a wide range of policy areas, such as public transport, healthcare, education, green spaces, public spaces, inclusivity and safety.