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New York is the best city in the world to go out in, but the worst for dating

Written by
Jillian Anthony
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In our first ever city index survey, we asked 20,000 people from 18 cities around the world what makes their city great—and not so great. The people (1,293 of them in NYC alone!) have spoken, and New York is the fourth best city in the world to live in. (Chicago, Melbourne and Lisbon took the top slots. Respectfully agree to disagree.)

In an online survey, people answered a series of questions about their cities in categories including dynamism, inspiration, food and drink, community, sociability and affordability. Unsurprisingly, New York is unbeatable when it comes to culture. And it turns out things like having access to a great bar-and-restaurant scene and living in a city that’s a source of inspiration matter more to people than a fast commute or affordability (sigh).

Check out these fascinating results—some good, some bad and some ugly—about the city that never sleeps (though, it turns out, Tokyo is actually the city that never sleeps: More people stay up till sunrise there than anywhere else).

More than half of us are lonely, and only 10 % of New Yorkers think it’s easy to make friends here. Even worse, only 4% think it’s easy to find love. Yep, we officially have the most challenging, stressful dating scene in the world. Isn’t dating supposed to be fun?

51% of New Yorkers are likely to Google their date. Leave something to mystery, guys!

If New Yorkers had three wishes… We’d wish for a good raise, a better body and an extra day off work every week.

82% of New Yorkers say there’s always something new to do

60% believe the city is on its way up

77% say it’s unbeatable for culture (like the arts, music and nightlife)

Only 11% of New Yorkers said they can afford to live the life they want.

And just 4% believe you don’t need a lot of money to live well here.

67% of New Yorkers believe the city is very accepting of all people and lifestyles. No matter who the president is.

Only 9% of New Yorkers say it’s easy to live here, but 55% believe it’s an inspiring place to live.

33% of us find our jobs stressful, and 10% of us are on antidepressants—more than any other city. Yikes!

New Yorkers go out, on average, 6.4 times a month and see more theater than any other city. We out here!

81% of New Yorkers love exploring different parts of the city (the most of any city!), while 60% say there are great places to go within walking distance in their own nabe. Brunch, anyone?

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