Doha, Qatar,22 October2017: A new survey conducted by Bayt.com – the Middle East’s #1 Job Site – and YouGov – global online market research company – titled ‘Top Cities in the Middle East and North Africa’, revealed that Doha ranked among the best cities in the Middle East region. Doha residents are very satisfied with the economic, environmental, standard of living, and socio-cultural factors in their city. Overall, the majority (72%) of respondents are happy in their current city of residence. They are most satisfied with the economic and standard of living factors in their city, with positive assessments of safety and security, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, cleanliness, and infrastructure. Suhail Masri, Vice President of Employer Solutions at Bayt.com, said: “Our Bayt.com ‘Top Cities in the Middle East and North Africa’ survey highlights the most desirable cities for people to live and work in. This provides great insights because the MENA region is very diverse and has many factors that affect the overall quality of living. As the leading job site in the region, we believe it is our responsibility to provide all professionals; job seekers, employers, and entrepreneurs; with the latest tools and information that can help them make their career decisions and changes wisely. Job seekers need to have a clear idea on what cities can offer for them professionally. Similarly, employers want to know where they stand and what they can do to contribute to the overall standard of living in their cities. Current and aspiring entrepreneurs are always on the lookout for cities that give them the opportunity to build successful benefits and contribute to the growth of the economy.“ Economic Factors and Standard of Living When respondents were asked about key economic elements, more than three quarters (77%) of respondents said that the availability of jobs is the most important economic aspect, followed by the availability of affordable housing (73% said it is very important) and reasonably-priced day to day necessities (72% said it is very important). According to the survey, Doha ranked number one in terms of economic factors. For almost two-thirds (64%) of respondents in Doha, health insurance and social security systems were ranked as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. This is the most important labor rights factor as stated by82% of respondents. As for factors pertaining to standards of living, the top three most important aspects are a feeling of stability and security (84% said it is very important), quality of education (82% said it is very important), and availability of healthcare facilities (81% said it is very important). Doha ranked favorably in all three categories, with three quarters (75%) of respondents rating their feeling of safety and security as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, over two thirds (68%) rating the quality of education as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, and72% rating the availability of healthcare facilities as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. Socio-Cultural and Environmental Factors Socio-Cultural factors include factors that relate to cultures, cities and societies and the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of people residing in these areas. The most important socio-cultural factors according to the survey are low crime rate (81% said it is very important), and effective law enforcement (78% said it is very important). The majority (82%) of Doha residents ranked the city as ‘good’ or ‘excellent for its low crime rate and over three quarters (76%) ranked it as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ in regards to effective law enforcement. Furthermore, residents of Doha highly value environmental factors relating to cleanliness above all, with clean water (84% said it is very important) and clean streets (70% said it is very important) ranking among the most important factors. The majority of respondents in Doha are satisfied with these categories, with nearly8 in10 respondents rating the cleanliness of the streets as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, and more than three quarters (76%) rating the availability of clean water as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. Anjali Chhabra, Senior Research Manager at YouGov, said: “When conducting the Top Cities survey, not only did we look at the physical infrastructure and economic variables of each city, but we also analyzed the social and cultural factors that play an important role in the quality of life they serve. The results not only highlight that many cities in the Middle East region are offering high levels of satisfaction for current residents, but also what’s important for them to focus on to sustain that quality for the future.” Data for the2017 Bayt.com ‘Top Cities in the Middle East and North Africa’ survey was collected online from September6,2017, to October2,2017. Results are based on a sample of5,114 respondents. Cities assessed include Algiers, Alexandria, Cairo, Amman, Kuwait City, Beirut, Casablanca, Marrakech, Rabat, Muscat, Damascus, Jeddah, Riyadh, Eastern Province, Tunis, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Manama, and Sharjah.