79% of Beirut residents rate the availability of educational institutes as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ and 81% rate quality of education as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’
Beirut, Lebanon, 23 October 2017: A new survey conducted by Bayt.com – the Middle East’s #1 Job Site – and YouGov – global online market research company – titled ‘Top Cities in the Middle East and North Africa’, revealed that over three quarters (81%) of Beirut residents believe that the quality of education in their city is ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, and a majority (79%) believe that the availability of educational institutes in their city is also ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. Beirut ranked first among other cities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in these two aspects.
In terms availability of healthcare facilities, over half (54%) of Beirut residents rated this aspect as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ while 28% said it is ‘average’. Likewise, when asked about the quality of healthcare facilities in Beirut, the majority of respondents showed high satisfaction levels. In fact, only 20% rated it below average.
There are other factors that contribute to the standard of living that were ranked favorably in Beirut. The city ranked high when it came to comfortable weather, where 54% of respondents said this aspect is ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ and 23% said it is ‘average’. Over two thirds (68%) of Beirut residents also ranked the beauty of their city’s architecture and buildings as average or above.
Beirut also ranked among the top cities for having a wide range of entertainment avenues. In fact, nearly eight in 10 respondents rated this aspect as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. Further, more than half of respondents rated their city’s cultural and art offerings as either “good or excellent”.
Other factors that are important to a city’s residents revolve around family and child suitability. When it comes to child friendliness, Beirut also ranked favorable with only 17% rating this aspect below average. In addition, eight in 10 respondents said that the availability or family-friendly activities in Beirut is average or above.
Suhail Masri, Vice President of Employer Solutions at Bayt.com, said: “Our Bayt.com ‘Top Cities in the Middle East and North Africa’ survey highlights the most desirable cities for people to live and work in. This provides great insights because the MENA region is very diverse and has many factors that affect the overall quality of living. As the leading job site in the region, we believe it is our responsibility to provide all professionals; job seekers, employers, and entrepreneurs; with the latest tools and information that can help them make their career decisions and changes wisely. Job seekers need to have a clear idea on what cities can offer for them professionally. Similarly, employers want to know where they stand and what they can do to contribute to the overall standard of living in their cities.“
Among the most important entrepreneurship factors for the region is market willingness to accept new ideas and innovations and ease of finding local talent. Three in 10 Beirut residents said the market willingness to accept new ideas is ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. Over a third also agree that the ability to find local talent to employ is ‘good’ or excellent’ in Beirut.
Anjali Chhabra, Senior Research Manager at YouGov, said: “When conducting the Top Cities survey, not only did we look at the physical infrastructure and economic variables of each city, but we also analyzed the social and cultural factors that play an important role in the quality of life they serve. The results not only highlight that many cities in the Middle East region are offering high levels of satisfaction for current residents, but also what’s important for them to focus on to sustain that quality for the future.”
Data for the 2017 Bayt.com ‘Top Cities in the Middle East and North Africa’ survey was collected online from September 6, 2017, to October 2, 2017. Results are based on a sample of 5,114 respondents. Cities assessed include Algiers, Alexandria, Cairo, Amman, Kuwait City, Beirut, Casablanca, Marrakech, Rabat, Muscat, Damascus, Jeddah, Riyadh, Eastern Province, Tunis, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Manama, and Sharjah.