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Party central: Gothenburg voted world's most sociable city

When it comes to getting social, Gothenburg leads the way, according to a new survey, which also reveals New Yorkers eat out the most and Madrid loves to party – but London fails to make top 20

Get together … customers at a bar on Andra långgatan, Gothenburg. The city had the highest overall ranking in Hostelworld’s social behaviour survey.
Get together … customers at a bar on Andra långgatan, Gothenburg. The city had the highest overall ranking in Hostelworld’s social behaviour survey. Photograph: Souvid Datta for the Guardian

Gothenburg has been named the world’s most sociable city, according to a new study looking into the social behaviour and attitudes of residents in 39 destinations. In the study, commissioned by the booking site Hostelworld, cities were graded in 10 categories, including the frequency with which people socialise, openness and their “propensity to party”.

Second place also went to Sweden, the capital Stockholm, which was followed by Chicago, Boston and New York in the US. The study involved interviews with 12,188 residents, who were questioned about their attitudes to socialising, eating out and partying.

Gothenburg had the highest average score in three of the 10 categories, but different cities showed their character, too. New Yorkers came top when it comes to eating out: an average of 89 times a year on average.

All-night diner in Greenwich Village, New York. New Yorkers dine out – day or night – on average 89 times a year according to a survey by Hostelworld.
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All-night diner in Greenwich Village. New Yorkers dine out – day or night – on average 89 times a year according to the survey. Photograph: Alamy

Residents in Jakarta, Indonesia, are among the most sociable, hanging out with friends 151 times a year, even though eating out is less common there (an average of 18 times a year) and there’s more emphasis on entertaining at home. A similar pattern was found in Barcelona and Madrid, though Copenhageners are the most likely to host friends at home.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Scandinavian cities of Gothenburg, Stockholm and Copenhagen were found to be the most “socially minded”, followed by Tokyo. The three Scandi cities were also the most liberal with regard to other people’s lifestyles, including attitudes towards cohabitation and sexuality. Milan, Rome and Hamburg scored the highest when it came to “openness to others.”

As for partying, people from Madrid and Moscow (closely followed by Gothenburg) were most likely to agree with the statement: “I will use any excuse to have a party”.

Paris, London and Berlin, were – perhaps surprisingly – absent from the top of the tables, with their residents not socialising as often as others in the survey. Cost of socialising, transport issues and lack of leisure time were contributing factors to their low ranking.

Most sociable cities

1. Gothenburg

2. Stockholm

3. Chicago

4. Boston

5. New York

6. Copenhagen

7. Madrid

8. Rome

9. Hamburg

10. Dublin