Half of the country's residents believe the UAE's greatest achievement is stability and peace, topping the number who chose architecture or "world-class events" in a survey.
The poll was conducted last week for Al Aan TV's Express Nafsak (Express Yourself) and Sabah Al Nour (Good Morning Sunshine) by YouGov Siraj.
Asked what three things they liked most about living here, three quarters (77 per cent) of the 735 UAE residents surveyed chose "safety and security".
The next most popular options were "religious tolerance and freedom" (40 per cent) and "the modern lifestyle" (37 per cent).
The 632 expatriates in the survey were asked the main reason why they decided to live in the UAE.
A quarter (28 per cent) said it was for a good job or good salary, and almost as many (25 per cent) cited a "good quality of living".
Almost half (46 per cent) had lived here for 10 or more years.
Asked how long they planned to live here, (17 per cent) wanted to stay forever. Two in five (41 per cent) did not but had no specific plans to leave.
"That means a lot of people have found a home in the UAE that's far away from where their origins are," said Dana Shadid, the project manager for Al Aan TV.
The survey also asked the citizens and residents about their plans for National Day.
Almost half (45 per cent) wanted to "go out and celebrate with the crowds"; while 64 per cent were looking forward to the fireworks and light shows; 42 per cent hoped to see culture and folklore displays; and 38 per cent were looking forward to time off work.
"I think it's nice that expats feel so much at home that they actually want to celebrate the 40th National Day with Emiratis," said Ms Shadid.
"They all feel like they're all one … which is really beautiful."
