ABU DHABI 3 May 2018: Abu Dhabi has taken several steps to increase the happiness of its residents, including the The Happiness Patrol project, which involves distributing gift vouchers to law-abiding drivers.
In fact, happiness is considered to be so important that last year Ohood Al Roumi, the UAE’s first Minister of State for Happiness, said that the main job for the government is to create happiness.
ServiceMarket, one of UAE’s leading marketplace for home services, surveyed more than 1,700 Abu Dhabi residents to find out which areas have the happiest residents in 2018. Residents were asked to rate each area on 19 different attributes, including the availability of public transportation, sense of community, facilities, child-friendliness, and greenery.
Areas with the happiest residents
Al Raha Beach topped the list of the highest rated areas in Abu Dhabi with an overall average rating of 4.12 out of a maximum of 5. The neighbourhood has plenty of green spaces, shops and restaurants. In addition, it scored highly for the quality of the facilities available to its residents.
Saadiyat Island, which literally means island of happiness, closely followed it with a rating of 4.05. It is being developed as a cultural hub of Abu Dhabi and offers many recreational and educational facilities to its residents. Residents rated it highly in terms of the quality and layout of its homes as well as the availability of parking spaces. However, residents were not happy with the number of shops and restaurants in the area.
Rated highly for being child-friendly, Al Reef was the third highest rated area. Since it lies on the outskirts of the emirate, it’s an ideal residential area for people who need to commute to Dubai each day.
Lowest rated areas
With an overall average rating of 3.40, Al Zahiyah was the lowest rated area in Abu Dhabi. It’s a densely populated area where residents have been facing shortage of parking spaces.
It was followed by Khalifa City and Mohamed Bin Zayed City on the list of areas with the lowest ratings. All three of these areas lack greenery and scored poorly in terms of facilities.
How does this compare to the previous year’s findings?
Al Raha Beach has jumped to the top position this year even though it was not on the list of top 5 highest rated areas in 2017. Al Bateen has dropped from the top to the 5th position, and Al Khalidya which held the second spot last year has now deccended to the 7th position. A major shift in happiness was experienced by Al Zahiyah and Khalifa City, both of which have dropped from the top 5 to the bottom 5 positions.
Highest rated areas for a healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle contributes a lot to our happiness and well-being. Based on factors including greenery, walking possibilities, noise levels, and health facilities like swimming pools, gyms, etc., the highest rated areas for a healthy lifestyle are Saadiyat Island, Al Raha Beach, and Al Reef. On the other hand, Mohamed Bin Zayed City, Khalifa City and Al Zahiyah had the lowest ratings.
Highest rated areas for families with children
Most parents are likely to give a high priority to factors such as the proximity to schools, sense of community, child-friendliness and security, while choosing an area. In terms of these factors, the highest rated areas were Al Raha Beach, Saadiyat Island, and Al Kharamah, whereas Tourist Club Area, Al Danah, and Al Zahiyah had the poorest scores.
Some other interesting findings
● Abu Dhabi residents were generally not happy with the quality of facilities such as swimming pools and gyms in their area. Most residents also felt that there weren’t enough green spaces.
● On the other hand, most residents in Abu Dhabi felt very safe in their neighbourhoods.
● Al Wahdah had the highest rating in terms of the availability of public transportation and Khalifa City had the lowest.
● Most of the top pet-friendly areas also had high scores on walking possibilities.
● With the exception of Yas Island, most areas that were rated highly for child-friendliness did not necessarily have schools nearby.
● In terms of the sense of community, Al Raha Beach had the highest rating and Al Zahiyah the lowest.
● Residents experienced the lowest levels of noise in Saadiyat Island and found Al Zahiyah to be the noisiest area in Abu Dhabi.
● While Al Zahiyah and Al Danah were rated the lowest for the availability of parking spaces, they had a good score on the availability of public transportation.
