Ron McQuaid: Keep some perspective, let’s compare like with like

For instance, the United Kingdom comes out badly in terms of sunshine – no-one will dispute that – but it is likely that the high cost of cigarettes, for instance, impacts more people in Spain than in the UK.

The list only contains 10 countries – although there are 27 European Union countries and 44 countries with capitals in Europe, most of which would probably have fared worse than the UK.

So here, the UK is at the bottom of a very short list, and it would be much higher if all European countries were included.

However, often what people think of as crucially important to their quality of life are things like family and friends and safety from crime. These are not strongly represented in the survey.

We do have different sets of advantages from other countries – some of which may be more important to people who are used to living here than others.

The culture in Spain, for example, is very different and although they have excellent sunshine and cheaper alcohol, people may find that things they take for granted are not available there.

While we may think that drivers here are not necessarily always well-mannered, someone who moves abroad may find that they are compared to other countries. Another big plus for Britain is the NHS.

In some other countries, you have to consider whether you have insurance or can afford to be treated before going to hospital, but in Britain, we never have to worry about that.

I think generally, the UK is quite a good place to live.

However, surveys like this to remind us that we cannot be complacent.

l Professor Ron McQuaid, director of the Employment Research Institute at Edinburgh Napier University Business School