With Italy's new laws against sleeping, eating, drinking, and singing in public all aimed at making the place more pleasant (or less, if you fancy a chianti and snooze al fresco) you'd think it'd be in the top two European countries with the best quality of life. Not so amigos, as Bush would say.
Let's start at the bottom: The poor UK has the lowest quality of life in Europe — even though Brits earn the most — according to research released yesterday.
That money can't buy them happiness — they pay a king's ransom for essential goods: 18 percent above the average for diesel, 49 percent more for gas, and 5 percent more for electricity. Life expectancy in jolly old England is the third-lowest at 78.9 years, and the constantly gray sky might be a culprit: Britain gets 80 percent less sunshine than Spain, leading more than 40,000 people to flee in 2006.
They might have run right to Spain, which claims the number one slot among those studied, offering the best quality of life in Europe — even though salaries are below average. Old number two is France thanks to their unbelievably great vacation policy, at 40 days per year.
Where would you live in the ol' EU? Does France's commitment to time off strike your fancy?
Diesel
Giorgio Fedon
Liz Carine
"The study assessed 19 factors to rank the UK in relation to nine other major countries across Europe."
Ok, this explains it then. I don't believe for a second that the quality of life in the UK is lower than in e.g. Romania.
1I think we romanticize Europe too much, I haven't been there for long periods of time, but every time I'm there for a few days, no matter what country, it drives me nuts. I have relatives in Sweden who come here every summer and hate to leave, they even ask us if there is anyway to get residence here.
2I'd live in France in a heartbeat. Tons of culture, great healthcare system and a whole load of vacation time. I saw an interview with American ex-pats living in France, and they absolutely loved it. Once you get past the anti-American sentiment (which really does exist there), it's actually a very friendly culture.
3yay Spain!
4Yep... I lived in France for a little while also. It was nice..except for there arrogance..and unwillingness to speak english.
5I don't know, my spent some time in Paris few weeks, and said it was terrible - rude French, dirty streets, mice/rats, and the place is so old it looks as if most places are going to crumble.
...maybe he wanted to avoid the whole..."daddy send me to Paris"
6sorry, I left out the word "dad" - should be "my dad spent some time"
7Ummm. Wow.
I live in Paris--right in the heart at the 1st Arrondissment. I've not seen the mice, rats, etc., but I can attest to seeing waitstaff REACT rudely to Americans who treated them like slaves.
Are there anti-American sentiments here? Yes, of course. However, and I don't mean this to start a war or words, but there is Anti-American Sentiments in almost every country. Even in the USA!
If I were American, I'd say screw that and who cares. I mean, Anti-Americanisms are based on a lot of stereotypes and if you believe you live your life in an authentic way that does not insult people, then you KNOW those stereotypes have nothing to do with you. Other people's potential opinions shouldn't matter.
All that said, I will HAPPILY keep my 56 (not 40!!!!) days of holidays a year, sip my fabulous wine and keep living la vie en rose. I know a lot of people love to hate France, but this is my home and it is here if you want to visit or live
8Oh yes, I'd never EVER live in Italy. I looooooooove the Riviera to visit and the food & wines, but it is D.I.R.T.Y.!!!!!!! Ewwww! Okay, Florence is pretty, too. But Roma is disgusting!!
9Mme Hart, I loved your comments! Also, Italy is lovely, but dirty. You can tell the minute you cross the border by the general state of things. And the trains... ugh! I think I would happily live there though! My worst memory of dirty city was in Brussels. The whole place smelled like waffles and pee.
10I'd live in London. Maybe not forever, as I couldn't stand the thought of leaving NY, but for a year or two.
11I think how much sunshine you see per year has more of an effect on happiness than you might think.
12I lived in Oxford for a semester & I loved it! If I could move to the UK, I totally would. I lived in southern states for almost 10 years & I've never been more miserable in my life despite it being warm & sunny. besides, sunshine is for vacation.
13All these comments like, "Italy is Dirty! France has rats!" are so oversimplified! I'm reminded of the post a few weeks back of the map of the U.S. as a Californian sees it, and we all felt the need to clarify our region, like "Florida isn't all old people, only in (this) part, the northern part is much more like (this)," and "New Orleans is totally different than the rest of the South," and "Why is my city/region lumped in with (this) city/region?"
But we're all totally fine writing off entire nations with one or two adjectives.
14i'm not writing off the nation when i say things about one. I'm just giving my general impression, or memory. i didn't have time for a detailed list of pros and cons. But I suppose my ideal home would be the Italian part of Switzerland. It looks like Italy, but it's clean like a German speaking country. No graffiti, and men don't honk at you in traffic. but that's just MY general impression.
15I would absolutely live in France. I have been there and loved it. I don't know enough about Spain to say I want to live there, but I'm hoping to go on my honeymoon there next year.
16Swizerland does seem like a great place, Kris.
17i loved visiting Spain, but i got kind of a strange impression. Barcelona was big, colorful and fun. Then we got to Madrid. We all got the feeling like we were in a Quentin Tarantino movie. It was gorgeous, but we felt like something crazy could happen any minute. But that's just my impression, and my friends, of where we visited and where we stayed. someone else may have found it romantic or vibrant.
18I think my dad might have watched too many movies and was expecting something else, I don't know, I would still love to visit - but I have to be honest, after a few unpleasant experiences when trying something local to the people, I am tempted to stick to strictly tourist-stuff; ie: stay at national hotels instead of an apartment, go to national restaurants..etc..and that sounds a little boring too.
19I have a chance of moving to Spain next year so this is good news!
20Cab, that is awesome! How exciting!
Kris, Barcelona was the main city that I was hoping to go to. Also, (I need to pull out a map to make sure this would be possible) I have always wanted to go to Biarritz in France, which borders Spain. But mainly Barcelona.
21Biarritz is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
22I haven't been there, Tiff! i loved Barcelona. It was one big fun time for us. You could go to clubs and party, or just go sit at a cafe and hang out...everything was so festive. We were so happy when we got there, my friends and I, because we had been in Italy for so long and not seen any American chains. besides McDonald's at least. You know, the comfort factor. One of the first places we saw was a Dunkin Donuts and a Subway combined in the same establishment. It was a smorgasbord! we stuffed ourselves, felt better, and then went back to eating the local fare. We went to that fantastic food market they have too. so beautiful! I wish i could go back as an adult, rather than a college student. Cabaker, if you go there, I'm coming to see ya!
23I would gladly live in Croatia..the capital especially Zagreb. My family is from there and it looks beautiful.
24You are both making me want to go so much now! I hope it turns out to be in our budget!
25Well if somehow Spain comes through for us, we'd be living on the coast near Rota... I'm keepig my fingers crossed!
26I have a Cousin in France. Her ex was French and because she has a disabled child, she only has to work part time. France pays for everything for the school kids, including skiing and beach vacations and it costs her nothing. She comes to the USofA once or twice a year for a couple weeks to see the rest of the family.
But I've been to Florence, Italy, and I loved it there. But I'll stay in the good ol' USofA unless we lose our democratic way of life.
27I'm an American who has lived and worked in France, UK and Ireland. My experience concurred with the study. I liked the UK least. I found the residents there to be less warm and friendly. In fact I found them downright hostile to Americans, while I found everyone in Paris to be quite warm and lovely. But I will move back to Ireland. the Irish are the happiest people I have ever met. In fact I was so taken with the Irish that I talked one of them into marrying me and moving back to the US
28i would love to live in france, spain or switzerland. when i visited europe, switzerland was so, so beautiful. i loved it there.
29I would move to the UK in a heartbeat. Or Spain, I really loved the short time I spent in Madrid.
30I love the UK (and I am not one for sunny blue skies all day so there you go). Id live there in a second. I also loved Spain when I visited Barcelona. And Italy may not be clean in some areas but I would move there tomorrow!! I LOVED Florence.
31Honestly I'd move almost anywhere in Europe (UK, Spain, France, Italy etc. etc.) in a heart beat if I got the chance. My bf and I studied abroad (separately) in college and are both dying to go back. Anyone have any tips on how to do it?
32My daughter and I are going to the UK for her senior graduation in May of 2009. She wants to see Amy Winehouse sing so bad she can taste it. Too bad we don't know where Amy will be then. I have a friend who lived in London for 30 yrs and then moved to Texas. She said that London is very expensive and you pay for everything, even parking your car when you grocery shop. She said the health care was horrible and probably why people died earlier there than here. Her parents still live there and neither one has seen a doctor in 3 yrs because all the red tape you must wade through to get an appointment. Still, I hope we have a nice visit, we are going on several tours so it should be a lot of fun.
33I've recently returned from London after living there for four years, and the quality of life is exceptional, though you absolutely pay for it. I grew up in a very expensive city (San Francisco), so when people warned me what a fortune London is, I brushed it off because I figured I was used to it. HAH, not the case. Because 2Dollars buys you 1 Pound, but all the prices are the same, everything literally costs double! And American stores totally exploit this. A shirt at Urban Outfitters or Gap that costs $25 will cost 25 Pounds. I remember that I bought a coat at full price at Gap in the US, and then a few months later saw it on "LAST CLEARANCE" at Gap in London, and my US one was still cheaper! After that, I never shopped at the London Gap again. . . Top Shop, H&M, and PRIMARK (love) all the way.
As for the anti-US sentiments, they mostly just couldn't believe that we had elected Bush not once but twice. The second time was worse because that time he legitimately won and we "already knew what we were going into." I always wanted to present myself as a well-thought, considerate, culturally-sensitive embassador for the US, but it got old so very quickly. And I'd get very backhanded compliments, such as, "Wow, I didn't know Americans could be so thoughtful, intelligent, and well-spoken." Seriously?! I mean thanks, but seriously?!
Luckily it got better as my time there drew to a close. They sensed the tide in the US turning and allying more with international opinion, so I got a lot less of it.
But it also just kept getting more and more expensive.
But I still loved it deeply and miss it!
34MLLS, it's true, health care in the UK is rather poor, but life expectancy is still higher than in the US.
35Would hardly change home (which isnt the US)for anything, but since I havent been there I think I would consider Barcelona...
36i lived in Prague for a while and loved it. I also LOVE Ireland and spain and I am dying to go to france.. I am planning a trip to versaille and paris.. Has any body been?? advice
37Oh this makes me sad.
It's my dream to live in London or Ireland or Scotland...I love it
there.
38I don't know how to tell you guys this... I guess I'll just come out and say it: I am going to be married to Prince Harry. As a result, I will be moving to England to live the life I was meant to have. Don't worry... I'll blog about it for you every day
39Sant Cugat del Valles in Spain of course.
40spin, switzerland or greece for me! xxx
41sorry - spain
42I absolutely love Europe, but I fell IN LOVE with Barcelona when I went. It is my favorite city in the entire world and I am hoping to move there sometime soon. "Festive" is definitely a great word to describe it. That place is full of life!!!!
43i'm studying in france right now, and i really haven't found the anti-american sentiments to be all that bad. it definitely exists & i've seen/experienced it, but for the most part people are really friendly and helpful. but on the subject of health care--i found these two really great articles on npr.org about france (just if anyone is interested!):
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92116914
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92362918
44also--i read a comment on here earlier about how someone didn't appreciate the french people's refusal to speak english. well..it is france! and they speak french, not english. i mean, how would you like it if some tourist came up to you and starting speaking in their native language, expecting you to understand? you have to at least try! i've found that french people are extremely appreciative of just trying to speak french, even if you're not exactly sure that you're speaking correctly.
45Verailles is beautiful, have been twice, you definately need to rent a bike and ride to the petit trianon! Croatia is a beautiful country went last summer the beaches are like heaven. My boyfriend is european and we went to visit his family in austria and germany, both beautiful countries. I am american, and i am ashamed to be american, living in this country and especially when i travel abroad, because i see how indiviualistic and selfish we are as a nation. When looking at things like healthcare and education, european countries view those things as obligation of the state to help and better their people, instead of only looking out for big business and making personal profits off of struggling people. When we toured across Europe, everyone was friendly and kind, and i believe that most Americans have problems with people, especially in France, because we do not respect their culture and Americans think they know it all and pass judgment so quickly. Americans think they are the best and that is not the mindset to have when experiencing another culture and way of life. America's way is not always the right way, and i think that is a big problem. I have travelled to many countries, and i think this post, might be inaccurate and biased. It depends on how you view life. if you think the best way to live is to have a house so big you dont even step foot in the rooms on a daily basis, if you must own 3 cars, and spend more money then you make, if happiness for you consists of material goods and your life revolves around yourself, then America is #1, but if living comfortable but not beyond your means, and community and family and culture and living life to its fullest is what consistutes the best place to live: if knowing that your neighbor, or brother or sister or father can get healthcare when they are sick without going bankrupt, then Europe and a great deal of other countries, are a better place to live. America and the rest of the world are on two different wavelengths, or planets almost, as far as i can see/
46I always find it so odd when people go "I've been to this and that city... and I didn't enjoy that, so the whole country must be crap!" I'm from Stockholm, Sweden but I have been living in the UK for three years now. I will return to Stockholm (personally I wouldn't want to raise my children in the UK) in a couple of years, but for now, my English fiance and I live in a lovely house in a city on the east coast (yes, there is more to the UK than London
) and I
go to a fantastic university. I love it! Sure, it's dirtier than Stockholm but not so bad I can't handle it.
The biggest UK problem (and what probably drags down the life expectancy numbers I guess) in my eyes would be the national obesity. So many more people are overweight or obese than what I see in Sweden, and the food culture really reflects that. It's easy to find junk food anywhere, and very very cheap too, but not healthy stuff. It's definitely getting better though in terms of the food, more shops seem to offer organic, healthy products.
I've only been to Miami in USA and I think it'd be ridiculous for me to judge the whole country based on that one trip to one city. (The men have no manners and honk at you and shout things when you walk by! People are fake-smiley! No one walks anywhere! etc. etc. I know this is not even true for most of Miami, so to apply it to a whole country..? Nuts.) My best friend is half-American and lives and studies in Texas, so I get to hear a lot about that sort of life too, and it always sounds great, apart from the Bible-y stuff that freaks me out. The health care system is crazy though! Hopefully with a new president, that can change for the better.
47I still dream of going to California and New York and New England and Chicago and tons of other places in USA! It's all weirdly exotic to me, but alluring too.
I suppose it just depends on the kind of person you are. I know people who only travel to Switzerland because they think the rest of Europe is too dirty. Such a shame, I think. I would live practically anywhere in Europe, given the chance.
UK - I've lived in London and if you make enough money to live relatively well, it's fantastic (apart from the weather)
France - I would live in Paris in a heartbeat. Haven't seen much of the countryside apart from the coast, which is nice but I definitely wouldn't want to live there.
Denmark - Copenhagen is amazing, but SUPER expensive. Love the bicycle culture.
The Netherlands - Amsterdam is cool but I wasn't there long enough to experience it from a local point of view. All my friends that live in / around the Dam love it, though.
Austria - would move to Vienna tomorrow if I could. Countryside is also amazing.
Czech Republic - Prague is beyond beautiful but I could never live there.
Germany - I would definitely live there, Berlin is amazing.
Spain - I've only been to Catalunya and Andalucia (and Madrid briefly), but I would love to live anywhere in Spain. Barcelona is especially vibrant, and I love Sevilla. Definitely top of my list.
Italy - probably my favourite country in Europe, but I do agree that it is quite chaotic and dirty. That's part of the charm, I guess? I would also love the chance to live there.
Scotland - Edinburgh? I would move there tomorrow!
Maybe travelling is just in my genes, but if I was given the chance to live anywhere in Europe I don't think I would hesitate for a second.
I'll always come back to South Africa though, at the end of the day.
48I'm french, living half time in Bordeaux half time in Paris, spent a lot of time in Spain and UK, some in Portugal and my bf is Belgian, so well, i CAN say Europe rocks ! I might be biased but even with our damn president (yeah many of us hate him as much as many of you hate Bush) France is the best of all. Our healthcare plan is great - and we're fighting hard to keep it this way -, living costs are not so bad (but tend to be higher these days) and the culture, the cities, the mountains (i'm from the pyrénées !), the beaches... I love it all and could never go somewhere else even if i would not be unhappy in UK or Spain (that's where most of my family is from, spain is where my roots are). Portugal, like Italy, is dirty but you kinda get used to it. UK's weather is tough, and the place is so expensive, but since it's only an hour or something from Paris by train, you can go to London on a week end and that's great.
France is indeed a tourism country, but Americans tend to forget - like someone said earlier - that it is rude to get anywhere and assume anyone speaks your language. French people - and I count myself in - truly appreciate someone at least trying to say a "Bonjour" first. Wallons and Flamands in Belgium have the same problem, and they're in the same country !
49I live in Estonia and im pretty ok with it
Ill always visit Viljandi .. every weekend .. *dreams*
50id like live ...um .. idk dont care much
I live in Viljandi and heres alot of nature .. like super alot .. moving to Tartu soon tho .. But thats my home town so im ok with it
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