The European Commission released a report on Tuesday on the quality of life in European cities. Cities are home to about 40% of the EU’s population.
In the top 10 cities where citizens are satisfied with the noise level are those in northern Europe. The most satisfied are the citizens of Oulu (Finland), in proportion of 88%, followed by those from Malmö (Sweden), Dublin (Ireland) and Aalborg (Denmark), with 86%.
On the other hand, the least satisfied with the noise level are the residents of Bucharest (Romania), in proportion of 31%, Palermo (Italy), with 32% and Athens (Greece), with 33%.
Residents of Zurich (Switzerland) are the most satisfied with air quality (93%), compared to 13% for those living in Skopje (Northern Macedonia).
Also in the top of the most satisfied citizens with air quality, with over 85%, are those from Oulu and Helsinki (both from Finland), Aalborg (Denmark) and Białystok (Poland).
Six out of ten city residents are satisfied with the cleanliness of the city where they live (62%). The percentage is below average in cities in the south of the EU (47%), in the Western Balkans and Turkey (54%).
On average, the citizens of the European capitals are less satisfied than those who do not live in the capitals. Satisfaction also decreases depending on the size of the city, air quality and noise. The percentage of citizens satisfied with the cleanliness of the city where they live varies from 94% in Luxembourg to less than 10% in Palermo and Rome.
Three out of four city residents in EU are satisfied with public transport
Three out of four city residents are satisfied with public transport, although the figures range from just 22% in Palermo to 97% in Zurich.
Besides Palermo, the least satisfied with public transport are the inhabitants of Rome (Italy, 26%), Tirana (Albania, 30%), Naples (Italy, 31%), Podgorica (Montenegro, 36%), Belgrade (Serbia, 40%), Nicosia (Cyprus, 51%), Oulu (Finland, 52%), Bucharest (Romania, 53%) and Diyarbakir (Turkey, 55%).
Also, eight out of ten citizens are satisfied with the public spaces (squares, squares, pedestrian areas) in the city, and the least satisfied are those in Athens (Greece, 35%), Valletta (Malta, 44%), Palermo (Italy, 47%), Naples (Italy, 49%), Heraklion (Greece, 51%), Skopje (Northern Macedonia, 51%), Rome (Italy, 54%), Bucharest (Romania, 56%), Istanbul (Turkey, 56%) and Nicosia (Cyprus, 57%).
Residents in Zurich are very satisfied with local health care services
Seven out of ten residents are satisfied with local health care services, with the highest percentage being in Zurich (Switzerland, 94%) and Groningen (Netherlands, 93%).
The least satisfied are in Skopje (Northern Macedonia, 35%), Athens (Greece, 35%), Palermo (Italy, 38%), Warsaw (Poland, 41%), Belgrade (Serbia, 41%), Budapest (Hungary, 41%), Miskolc (Hungary, 41%), Bucharest (Romania, 44%), Burgas (Bulgaria, 45%) and Naples (Italy, 45%).
