The results are in, and Bostonians had some things to say about their city as part of the Time Out Index, an exhaustive survey that recently polled more than 34,000 people in 48 cities around the globe.
Among the most notable foodie findings: Bostonians said they dined out an average of 42 times in the past year, and 76% of respondents said they dined out in the past week. The survey also confirmed what we already suspected: despite having some great local food trucks to choose from, only 6% of Bostonians reported visiting a food truck in the past week, and only 11% reported visiting a food hall in the past week. (We expect that number to skyrocket next year, in light of the forthcoming Time Out Market Boston.)
Bostonians know a thing or two about imbibing, so we were interested to see how locals responded to the survey questions regarding drinks. 91% of respondents deemed the Boston drinking scene as "amazing" or "good," and 36% declared that cocktails are their tipple of choice (32% voted for wine). Despite the city's awesome breweries and killer beer bars, only 19% said beer was their favorite adult beverage.
When it comes to the happiness index, Bostonians came in near the top of the global rankings in terms of feeling safe in their city (only 6% reported feeling "unsafe"), not being big smokers (only 3% said they "couldn't get through the week" without cigarettes), and staying connected (62% said they "couldn't get through the week" without checking emails).
The culture findings were similarly astounding, as Boston came in near the bottom of the survey in terms of annual cinema visits — locals said they go to the movies only nine times a year — and number of times (5) staying up until sunrise in the past year. Some 88% of locals rated Boston's cultural scene as "amazing" or "good." We can't argue with that.
Want more? Now discover the rest of the 48 best cities in the world according to locals and experts.