Paris: In a new report by its ConsumerLab research team, Ericsson looks at the aspects of satisfaction in city life based on environment and social networking. Residents in 13 major cities, representing 100 million people, were surveyed by Ericsson's ConsumerLab. Among the findings are that people in megacities give mobile network coverage the fourth-highest satisfaction rating alongside water distribution and the availability of social spaces, ranging from cafés to entertainment facilities. On the other hand, poor air quality and lack of parking can impact dissatisfaction.
Urbanization is a global mega-trend. City populations grow by 7500 people per hour, and people are clearly feeling some stress from overcrowding. But we also see how people in cities use ICT as a means to alleviate such feelings and to better experience city life," said Michael Björn, Head of Research at Ericsson ConsumerLab. According to the report, around 40% of people in cities use smartphones and rely on mobile information to solve day-to-day issues
Highlights for living in a city are the accessibility to restaurants, cafés, entertainment facilities, and markets. People in cities are more socially active, and their social circles spread wider than people not living in cities. Low-lights have to do with crowds and traffic. The survey found that the average commute time in the 13 cities was two hours, twenty minutes per day. Björn said, "People are more relaxed when they know how long their commute will take, as this enables them to use their time more efficiently. Smartphones are becoming an invaluable tool on the daily commute."
The report was launched at New Cities summit in Paris.