Dubai is favoured city for citizens and expats alike

Our Correspondent

The sixth Dubai Social Survey conducted by the Community Development Authority (CDA) in Dubai in partnership with the Dubai Statistics Centre has revealed that more than 95 per cent of Emiratis and expatriates have a “strong preference” to live in Dubai.

The survey showed that the emirate exceeded all countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in terms of the average of population satisfaction with their lives. Dubai clocked 8.4 on a 0-to-10 rating scale as compared to Finland, which posted 7.6; Switzerland, 7.5; and the Netherlands, 7.4.

The survey noted that 98 per cent of Dubai residents trust the police stations near them. This exceeds the confidence of the population in police stations in Western Europe, which was pegged at 84 per cent; Southeast Asia 83 per cent; and America and Canada 79 per cent according to the Global Law and Order Report issued by Gallup in 2019.

The number of Emiratis who feel safe when roaming alone at night in Dubai’s residential areas increased from 89.4 per cent to 91.9 per cent. Among non-Emiratis, it increased from 96.3 per cent to 97.7 per cent between 2015 and 2019. Those who feel protected and safe in Dubai increased among non-Emiratis from 96.7 per cent to 99 per cent; and among Emiratis from 86 per cent to 97.4 per cent between 2011 and 2019.

The survey also highlighted a 25 per cent increase in the emirate’s social cohesion — increasing from 0.69 in 2011 to 0.86 in 2019 across the total population on a 0-to-1 scale.

The survey showed that 97 per cent of the population respects the rest of the emirate’s population of all backgrounds. About 94 per cent of them agree to neighbour residents from different groups, whether in terms of religion, nationality, language, people of determination, or different socio-economic classes.

The survey also shows that 91 per cent of Dubai residents are ready to establish and maintain social relations with people of determination; 88 per cent with people who do not speak their language and people from different nationalities; and 87 per cent with people from other religions.