## 5 Discussion
Outside the EU, there is a significant difference between cities in EFTA countries (0.6738) and the Western Balkans (0.4761), and cities in other \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Descriptive Statistics**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Eastern**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Northern**} & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Satisfaction with Life in Cities**} & \\  & & & **Southern** & **Western** & **Balkans** & **Other (United** \\  & & **MS** & **MS** & **MS** & **Balkans** & **Kingdom, Turkiye)** \\ \hline N & 20 & 6 & 16 & 23 & 4 & 4 & 10 \\ \hline Min & 0.5016 & 0.6301 & 0.4428 & 0.5422 & 0.6413 & 0.4154 & 0.5141 \\ \hline Max & 0.6503 & 0.6904 & 0.6252 & 0.6941 & 0.7295 & 0.5358 & 0.6635 \\ \hline Median & 0.5923 & 0.6501 & 0.5433 & 0.6349 & 0.6738 & 0.4761 & 0.6084 \\ \hline Standard deviation & 0.0345 & 0.0202 & 0.0540 & 0.0365 & 0.0338 & 0.0505 & 0.0410 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Source: Table 6.  
\end{table} 
Table 8: Descriptive statistics for BTOPSIS values, categorized by groups of countries. regions, such as the United Kingdom and Turkiye (0.6084), falling in between but closer to the average satisfaction levels of EU countries. The median satisfaction score for six cities in the United Kingdom is 0.6341, while for four cities in Turkiye, it stands at 0.5698. Table 9 presents descriptive statistics for BTOPSIS values, grouped by the population size of cities, highlighting variations in key indicators across different types of cities. There is a difference in life satisfaction between cities with less than 250,000 inhabitants (0.6106), between 250,000 and 500,000 inhabitants (0.6126), and those with more than 5,000,000 inhabitants (0.5651). Cities with between 500,000 and 1,000,000 inhabitants (0.5959) and those with populations between 1,000,000 and 5,000,000 (0.5915) report similar and slightly higher levels of life satisfaction on average compared to cities with more than 5,000,000 inhabitants. The 2023 'Report on the Quality of Life in European Cities' reveals significant variations in satisfaction levels across the 83 cities surveyed. The scores are based on one key question (QSL) (see Table 6). Zurich tops the rankings with an impressive 97% satisfaction score, followed closely by Copenhagen and Groningen at 96%. Other high-ranking cities include Gdarsk, Leipzig, Stockholm, and Geneva, all scoring 95%. On the other hand, cities at the lower end of the spectrum include Rome (71%), Belgrade (69%), and both Naples and Tirana (66%). Istanbul and Athens each scored 65%, with Palermo ranking the lowest at 62%. These findings underline the significant disparities in resident satisfaction across European cities. Figure 7 presents a graphical evaluation of overall satisfaction with the city, based on the QSL question. This evaluation considers both regional differences and the city's population distribution, as illustrated in the accompanying maps (see [19; 47]). The findings obtained through the BTOPSIS method, and the analysis of the QSL question reveal consistent patterns. A detailed analysis of responses to the QSL question can be found in the report 'Report on the Quality of Life in European Cities' [19]. Both approaches indicate similar intra-country variations, highlighting notable differences in city rankings within individual countries. When comparing the results of the BTOPSIS method and the QSL question responses, common trends emerge, leading to key insights. The QSL analysis indicates that, among EU cities, satisfaction is highest in those located in northern and western Member States (93% and 90%, respectively). In contrast, cities in the southern Member States tend to score lower on average (81%), particularly due to low satisfaction levels in Greek and southern Italian cities. This trend is also reflected in the BTOPSIS results, which show similar regional disparities in city rankings. Both methods point to a broader trend in which satisfaction tends to be higher in smaller cities than in larger ones.