• What Makes a City a Good Place to Live?

    Global Residents Study 2027

  • Introduction

  • What makes a city a genuinely good place to live?
    The Happy City Index examines quality of life in cities around the world. As we develop the 2027 edition, we want to hear directly from people about what matters most in their everyday urban lives.


    Your responses will help us review the areas and indicators used in the Happy City Index and identify issues that existing city rankings may overlook.


    There are no right or wrong answers. We are interested in your personal experience and views.


    The survey is anonymous and takes approximately 6 minutes to complete.

  • PART 1 — YOUR EXPERIENCE OF CITY LIFE

  • 1. Overall, how satisfied are you with the city where you currently live as a place to live? (0 — Not at all satisfied; 10 — Completely satisfied)*

  • 2. What are the THREE things that matter most to you in making a city a good place to live?

  • PART 2 — WHAT MATTERS MOST?

  • 5. Which FIVE of the following aspects of city life are most important to your quality of life? Please select exactly five.*
  • 6. Of the five aspects you selected, which ONE is most important to your quality of life?*
  • 7. Thinking specifically about the city where you currently live, imagine that it could substantially improve only THREE areas over the next five years. Which THREE should be given the highest priority? Please select exactly three.*

  • PART 3 — LOOKING AT THE HAPPY CITY INDEX

  • The Happy City Index currently assesses cities across six broad areas:
    Citizens — education, inclusion, housing, culture and opportunities for residents
    Governance — public institutions, participation, transparency and digital public services
    Environment — air quality, waste, recycling, biodiversity and environmental sustainability
    Economy — employment, earnings, entrepreneurship and economic conditions
    Health — physical and mental health, healthcare, safety, green space and work–life balance
    Mobility — public transport, accessibility, road safety and connectivity

  • 8. Below are the six broad areas currently used in the Happy City Index. Considering each area as a whole, how important is it for assessing whether a city is a good place to live?*
    Rows
  • 9. Overall, how well do these six areas cover the things that should be considered when assessing whether a city is a good place to live?*

  • PART 4 — WHAT SHOULD A GLOBAL CITY INDEX MEASURE?

  • ABOUT YOU

    These questions will help us understand whether people living in different parts of the world and in different types of cities have different priorities.
  • 13. How long have you lived in your current city?*
  • 14. What is your age in years?*
  • 15. What is your gender?*

  • FINAL QUESTIONS

  • Should be Empty: