Britain has worst quality of life in Europe, study says

[N.O.R.F]

Britain has worst quality of life in Europe, study says

British people have the worst quality of life in Europe, according to a report which highlights the long hours, bad weather, low life expectancy and high price of many consumer goods.

By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor

7:00AM BST 12 Oct 2009

Comment

In a study of ten of the largest European countries, Britain comes last followed by Ireland, with France and Spain topping the table.

 

Though British households enjoy the highest income, at £35,730 a year, £10,325 higher than the European average, British families have to contend with a high cost of living, with fuel, food and alcohol all costing more than the European average.

 

With a litre of unleaded petrol at £1.08 a litre, the UK is the second most expensive country in Europe. However, diesel is more expensive in the UK than anywhere else in Europe – £1.13 a litre, which is 19p or 20 per cent above the European average of £0.94.

 

The report by price comparison website uSwitch analyses 10 European countries against 17 different benchmarks, from the price of gas, electricity, fuel, food and drink to the amount each country spends on education, health to working conditions and the weather.

 

The top three countries are France, Spain and Denmark, with Sweden, Ireland and Britain coming eighth, ninth and tenth respectively.

 

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The study comes less than a week after the United Nations moved Britain out of the top 20 list of most desirable countries to live in for the first time.

 

While France and Germany were initially hit hard by the global financial crisis, both have officially exited their recessions, while Britain has yet to confirm this has happened. Later this week, despite signs of recovery in the housing market and buoyant retail sales, there is expected to be grim economic news with unemployment predicted to have climbed to above 2.5 million for the first time since 1994.

 

The uSwitch report indicated that Britain suffers from the lowest number of days holiday per year, with the average worker entitled to 26 days, well below Spain on 41. British consumers also pays the highest prices for diesel, food and the country spends below the European average, as a percentage of GDP, on health, and education. It also has the 4th lowest life expectancy in Europe, at 78.9 years, compared with above 80 years in France, Italy and Sweden and workers retire later than most of their European counterparts.

 

Ann Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch, said: "There is more to good living than money and this report shows why so many Brits are giving up on the UK and heading to France and Spain.

 

"We earn substantially more than our European neighbours, but this level of income is needed just to keep a roof over our heads, food on the table and our homes warm. It’s giving us a decent standard of living, but it’s not helping us achieve the quality of life that people in other countries enjoy."

Telegraph

[GaroweGal]

I could have told you that, I vowed to never return to that sh1t hole. I still have not recovered from that place. I am glad I don't call that place home.

[N.O.R.F]

^You only went to London I take it?

[nuune]

London is not in my list of places to even spend more than 2 days, just was there one day there the other day, I truly hate it to the fullest, that day I stayed there was chaotic, no tube in most places(most lines were not functioning), nothing, you can't drive as roads are all jammed, buses were full, they travel like diidiin, the place is hell without that tube, can't imagine how people depend on that, waaba guumeeysi iska cad, shiidh fooqal shiidh, ufff

[Alpha Blondy]

^ Dublin has a better a quality of life.

[N.O.R.F]

nuune;749350 wrote:

London is not in my list of places to even spend more than 2 days, just was there one day there the other day, I truly hate it to the fullest, that day I stayed there was chaotic, no tube in most places(most lines were not functioning), nothing, you can't drive as roads are all jammed, buses were full, they travel like diidiin, the place is hell without that tube, can't imagine how people depend on that, waaba guumeeysi iska cad, shiidh fooqal shiidh, ufff

Problem is reer London and the tourists like Garowe Gal don't know any better. London is tough to live and work in.

[nuune]

^^ Alpha, though I spend most of time outside Dublin and Ireland as a whole, but even with the downtown that hit Ireland very hard, it still has better quality, believe me, one example is the houses, one apartment in Dublin is the equivalent of a 3 bedroom house in London, and this is only one example, I know the two places very well, sxb.

 

 

Norf, I am sure other places are much better than London, Leicester is one example, ten times better than London, haven't being to Sheffield, but I heard good stories of it, so it tops the list of better places than London

[Alpha Blondy]

^ dublin is not so impressive. lakiin, agreed london is a joke. i think hargeisa with a little more nightlife would be awesome.

[nuune]

Agree with you, Dublin is old European city style, no fancy stuff, Hargeisa can be good with better road quality services.

 

 

 

Ps: I can see you already missed Hargeisa

[N.O.R.F]

Travelling to and from work taking more than an hour each way is just too much. The problem is lack of planning (it being an old city). Congestion charge, angry people, depressed people. No thanks.

 

Sheffield is small, picturesque with good transport links. Same with Notts and Manchester. Haven't been to Leicester.

 

Liverpool is the worst of the lot though

[OdaySomali]

The U.K is a horrible and depressing place Continental Europe is much better ... not France though.

[Archdemos]

OdaySomali;749402 wrote:

The U.K is a horrible and depressing place

Continental Europe is much better

... not France though.

Come on its not that bad, is it!

[Alpha Blondy]

^ i'm afraid i'd have to agree with oday. london has gone to the dogs. its practically a hell-hole.

[OdaySomali]

lol compared to some of the european countries ive lived in /been to it is. i can't quite decide if it is the grey jungle and lack of green open spaces. bad weather, short or fat or ugly people, high number of disabled people, chavs or the multiculturalism lmao.

[OdaySomali]

The UK urban environment and urban culture is what makes this a sad reality. The uk is more hospitable for 3thnic minorities though and it is good for ku-meel-gaar