We like life in the UAE, nine out of 10 tell survey

Life is good in the UAE, according to a new YouGov survey which found that nine out of 10 residents rate their quality of life as average or better. The survey of 750 people, carried out for The National, found that Emiratis were most effusive in their enthusiasm for their country, with more than half (51 per cent) saying their quality of life was extremely good.

Westerners were less pleased, with only nine per cent rating it as extremely good. However, 58 per cent of them said it was at least good, and only 11 per cent described it as poor. There was a general view, too, that the UAE is a good place to raise a family, with three in five (58pc) saying that the leisure facilities for children were good or extremely good. The education system is viewed favourably, with almost half (46pc) rating it good or extremely good. However, more than a fifth (22pc) of Asian parents, almost double the number in any other group, said the quality of education was poor or very poor.

Work was a source of much worry, with four in five (81pc) finding their jobs somewhat or extremely stressful. Not only that, three in five said they were somewhat or extremely worried that they might lose their job. Housing was a concern, with almost half of expatriates (47pc) saying their accommodation was worse than it had been in their home country. This was particularly true of Arab expatriates (51pc) and Asians (47pc). Only a third of westerners (33pc) said their housing was worse here.

The situation was slightly worse in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, where 52 per cent and 49 per cent said their housing was worse than at home. In Dubai, the figure was 43 per cent.