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Wednesday, 1 October, 2003, 17:23 GMT 18:23 UK

Belfast 'best place to live'

Belfast skyline Belfast is the best city to live in the UK, according to a survey on quality of life.

More than 2,000 people in the UK were asked about how satisfied they were with various aspects of their lives for the report released on Wednesday.

Belfast was voted the UK's best city, followed by Cardiff and Glasgow.

The survey was part of a wider European study into what constitutes a good neighbourhood, questioning 11,200 residents of 112 urban and rural areas.

The Irish Republic was judged to be the most content country in Europe, with Dublin being voted best capital city.

It found that people living in the country tended to be more content than city dwellers, with four of the top five places to live in the UK having rural areas nearby.

Overall, people living in the countryside around Edinburgh were the most satisfied, followed by Belfast, Bristol and Manchester.

Leeds was the least satisfied of the UK cities, with Manchester coming second bottom.

UK residents cited feeling safe at home as the most important factor (97%), followed by healthcare quality (93%) and feeling safe when out and about (92%).

The survey was carried out in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Norway, Greece, Belgium, the Irish Republic and the UK.

The UK was the least satisfied out of the nine countries with its police, with about 45% saying they were unhappy about the "visibility, availability and helpfulness" of officers.

The survey was carried out in the summer ahead of a summit on healthy ageing, organised by pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which took place in London on Wednesday.



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Related to this story:
Summer surge in city visitors (12 Aug 03  |  Northern Ireland )
Row over cathedral development (29 Aug 03  |  Northern Ireland )
Culture bid spending examined (06 Jun 03  |  Northern Ireland )
From Troubles to tourism (09 Jul 03  |  Northern Ireland )
Tourists say abuse was racial (10 Aug 03  |  Northern Ireland )
Culture shock after bid rejection (30 Oct 02  |  Northern Ireland )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau
Northern Ireland Tourist Board
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