How do you judge how progressive or supposedly "woke" a city is? Given that we can't read the minds of every single inhabitant, it's probably an impossible task. But a new study has made a valiant effort to identify the UK's most progressive places to live and work by analysing seven factors that could point to a more socially conscious and liberal environment.
The study by Bankrate takes into account a city's search trends, gender pay gap, recycling rates, voter turnout, number of vegan and vegetarian restaurants, number of ultra-low emission vehicles, and council diversity. A score out of five is awarded for each factor, giving each of the 50 cities analysed a score out of 35.
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Oxford comes out on top, narrowly ahead of Brighton and Hove and Bath, with London placing fourth. Check out the top ten below, with their respective scores out of 35.
1. Oxford (23.82)
2. Brighton and Hove (23.33)
3. Bath (22.31)
4. London (22.13)
5. Cambridge (21.87)
6. Bristol (21.50)
7. Leeds (21.29)
8. Cardiff (21.28)
9. Exeter (21.21)
10. Leicester (20.53)
As you'll see, many of the top ten are cities with a large student population, which obviously isn't too surprising. Interestingly, Swansea (which places 26th overall) has the least gaping gender pay gap, while St Albans (18th overall) has the highest recycling rates.
Meanwhile, Brighton and Hove has highest number of vegan and vegetarian restaurants relative to its population. Wolverhampton (28th overall) has the greatest council diversity, and Winchester (24th overall) has the greatest voter turnout.
London doesn't place in the top ten in any individual category, but still manages to finish seventh overall thanks to reasonable scores across the board. Glasgow - named the best city for millennials in a previous study - places a surprisingly low 38th out of 50.
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