How couldn’t you love Bristol? It’s colourful, full of character, creativity and chaos, and home to hundreds of exciting events throughout the year. So, unsurprisingly, the city has been named among the most popular cities in the UK, coming 10th in a recent YouGov poll.
Popularity is based on the % of people who have a positive opinion of a city. Bristol scored 54% positivity score, which was still a long way off the top spot. Where Bristol most shone, however, was with Millenials – receiving a 60% popularity score. So maybe we’re starting to see a generational change in opinion of the city?
If you want to know the most popular city in the UK, the pretty city of York – which we’ve heard described as the Northern version of Bath – came top, with 74%. Steeped in Roman and Viking history, there’s every reason to visit this quaint, cathedral city. It only takes four hours to get to York – by car or direct train – from Bristol too.
Elsewhere on the list, London surprisingly only came third. It scored only 64%. Creating quite the gap between it and second, where Edinburgh only just missed out on the top spot, as it also scored 74%. (We’re not quite sure what’s pushed York ahead, because it sure ain’t alphabetical.)
No other South West city finished among the top 10, which also included Cambridge, Oxford, Brighton, Liverpool and Manchester. The only surprise entry is… Portsmouth?! No shade on the historic port city – home to numerous maritime museums – but it scored 55% and came ninth, one above Bristol. (A deep into the data reveals this score inflated by Baby Boomers – who placed Portsmouth fifth)
The top 10 most popular cities in the UK
1. York – 74%
2. Edinburgh – 74%
3. London – 63%
4. Cambridge – 62%
5. Oxford – 61%
6. Brighton – 60%
7. Liverpool – 58%
8. Manchester – 55%
9. Portsmouth – 55%
10. Bristol – 54%
Read the full rankings here.