Where is the best place to live in Poland? A report that shows the best places to live

Wiktor Bochenek

19 of July '22

The report "Happy Home. A city good for living"

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In which cities do we feel happy? In large metropolises or rather small cities? Can we measure happiness at all based on statistical indicators? In search of answers to these questions, the report "Happy Home.Acity good for living".

idea of happiness

The report was developed by ThinkCo in cooperation with the Otodom portal. This is another report issued by Otodom as part of the "Happy Home" project.

Thanks to such initiatives, we understand even better what to do to live better. We want to level up the knowledge so that both buyers, tenants, agents and developers navigate the real estate market more consciously," points out Karolina Klimaszewska, Senior Data Analyst at Otodom.

The project surveyed 35,897 Polish residents between September 2021 and February 2022. The survey was based on responses on a scale from 1 (completely unhappy) to 5 (maximally happy). The subjective survey of feelings of happiness was the basis for highlighting certain phenomena.

When asked "How happy do you feel in the city where you live," 26% of Polish city residents said they felt maximally happy, 31% just happy, and 22% described themselves as undecided. 9% of residents feel unhappy, and 12% feel completely unhappy. This means that more than half of Polish women and men feel happy in their urban environment.

Where you're happy and where you're not happy

The cities with the highest levels of happiness (according to the average derived from a scale of 1 to 5) are Gdynia (4.03), Gdansk (3.96) and Zielona Gora (3.95). Further down the list, we also find Rzeszow (3.76), Katowice (3.75), Poznan (3.73) and Krakow (3.69).

Cities with the lowest happiness levels include: Częstochowa (2.81), Kalisz (3.1), and Ruda Śląska (3.15). Further down the list we find Kielce (3.18), Sosnowiec (3.3) and Tarnów (3.36).

ranking of cities

As analysts point out, the level of happiness increases with the size of the city, but only up to the level of 200-500 thousand residents. The average level of happiness in this zone is 3.76. The worst performers are cities in the 50-100 thousand range, where the result is only 3.37.

Size of cities and their impact on happiness

The report's authors also cite research from another document, which focused on the question of which age groups people are happiest and unhappiest in. The highest scores were recorded in the 51-60 (3.63) and 61-70 (3.66) age groups. The lowest score was recorded by the 18-24 group (3.21), which may be influenced by the issue of the housing crisis.

happiest age groups

The referenced survey also looked at what makes residents in different age groups happy and unhappy. Access to stores was the factor that made all age groups happiest, just as the cost of living was the factor that made them most unhappy. For each age group, good communication was important, as was the issue of the environment. The differences were the needs for access to culture and entertainment, infrastructure for children or the availability of health care.

Age groups and the aspects that make them happy and unhappy

what makes us happy?

The aspects distinguished by respondents that make us happy were primarily the availability of stores (29%), public transportation and access (23.9%) and the environment (23.2%). Differences between the size of urban centers are significant. In small cities, the environment, safety and cost of living were most often cited as positive elements. In medium-sized cities, availability of stores, public transportation and access, as well as safety, reign supreme. Residents of large cities most valued access to entertainment and culture, availability of stores and communication.

rating the positive aspects of polish cities

Of the interesting findings, it is worth noting an increase in the value of public transportation in larger centers, most often due to its better organization and accessibility. Typically, the organization of transportation in smaller centers is associated with greater problems. Analysts also point out that people in the 30- and 40-year-old age group were more likely to indicate infrastructure for children as an important aspect, while seniors were more likely to emphasize access to health care.

what aspects make us happy

what makes us unhappy?

The winning aspect in the category of making us unhappy could not be anything other than the cost of living (36%). Much further down the list, though still high, were the environment (green spaces, traffic noise and air cleanliness) (23.9%) and access to health care (22.2%).

assessment of negative aspects of polish cities

Cost of living is the most frequently cited element, although it is most troublesome in large cities (49.6%). Only in small towns with up to 50,000 residents is it second only to access to entertainment and culture, which is also the biggest problem in medium-sized cities. Larger centers do not have difficulties with access to culture, but environmental problems are more common.

what aspects make us unhappy

what to do to make it better?

The authors of the report also try to answer what to do to make us live better in cities? Several concepts are cited here, such as the seven aspects of a regenerative city, emphasizing inclusivity, activity or access to green space, the UN Sustainable Development Goals or the phenomenal concept of the " bagelmodel " (eng. doughnut economics) by Katie Raworth.

Doughnut economics in thinking about the city (concept by Katie Raworth).

Some of the most important elements include improving urban housing policies (Vienna and Singapore are cited here) or introducing sustainable urban transportation, as well as addressing the aging population, dealing with spatial chaos and adapting to climate change.

seven aspects of a regency city

summary

The report "Happy Home. A city good for living" provides an interesting glimpse into the processes and changes that have taken place in recent years in thinking about Polish cities. In small centers, the biggest problems are the lack of adequate communication, access to health care and, above all, access to entertainment and culture. Large cities create problems with the high cost of living or lack of adequate access to nature. Medium-sized cities, on the other hand, combine the advantages and problems of both large and small cities.

While the happiness rating on a scale of 1 to 5 may seem too general, the advantages and problems of urban centers indicated by the respondents show us what local government officials, architects, activists and urban planners should focus on.

The entire report can be found at otodom.pl