Oxford Omitted from Best City Survey

The “UK Today: Best City to be Young” report was carried out by Dr. Esmée Hanna who collected data from more than 2,000 18 – 30 year old participants.

We Oxonians might boast the 6th best university in the world (not Brookes we hasten to add), and The Sunday Times’ best modern university for the eleventh year in a row, but it seems that to be the best city takes more than just top-notch education.

The survey shows that Cardiff offers the best quality of life to young people, based on ten important criteria including the cost of living, a good work-life balance and low crime. Director for Legal & General’s general insurance business, Mike Lawler said that the “findings show that finances play an important role in shaping this age group’s quality of life.”

The City of Dreaming Spires

So we admit that living in Oxford is pretty expensive but what does Cardiff really have to boast about? It might well be the home of Doctor Who, but it’s not the birthplace of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle might well be known for their wild night life and low cost of living but as they say: it’s grim up north, (I’m allowed to say that; I come from Manchester).

The ‘City of Dreaming Spires’ was even beaten by Bradford and Hull, oh the shame. Surely they can’t boast the spectacular view from the top of South Park, iconic architecture that provided sets for Harry Potter and inspired Philip Pullman’s Dark Lights trilogy and more pubs than you know what to do with?

Legal & General we think you need to reassess.