The Commission has released the the results of an opinion poll looking at how citizens perceive the quality of life in 75 major European cities.  Although responses reveal wide disparities overall, transport, heath and education services generally score well, opposite to availability of jobs and housing costs, which remain as dominant concerns

This "Perception survey on quality of life in European cities" was conducted in November 2009 to measure local perceptions in 75 cities in the EU, Croatia and Turkey. The European Commission (DG Regional Policy) has been using such surveys for several years to get a snapshot of people’s opinions on a range of urban issues. Earlier surveys were conducted in 2004 and 2006.

These perception surveys allow for comparisons between perceptions and “real” data from various statistical sources on issues such as urban security, unemployment and air quality. This perception survey included all capital cities of the countries concerned, together with between one and six more cities in the larger countries. This resulted in 75 cities being selected: 70 cities in the 27 Member States of the European Union and 5 cities in Croatia and Turkey.

A number of issues such as employment, environment, housing, transport, culture, city services and immigration are addressed by this survey, which can be accessed at the DG Regional Policy - Inforegio website.  The wealth of information provided by the survey is not only useful for city planners and decision-makers, but also for citizens who would like to know which cities are seen as good places to live.

Initiated by Directorate-General for Regional Policy, the European Urban Audit involves 27 National Statistical Offices working together under Eurostat coordination. Data are collected on more than 300 variables describing the quality of life in 300 European cities. Based on this unique data collection, a report has been produced. Complementary information has also been gathered through a survey on how inhabitants perceive quality of life in their city