Belfast citizens feel safer in their city than residents of Dublin do in theirs, according to a new EU survey on the quality of life across almost 50 cities in Europe.

Over half (52%) of those asked in Belfast, which was at the heart of the Troubles for 30 years, said they "always" felt safe in the city while only 41% felt likewise in Dublin.

And the Northern Ireland city ranks ahead of its southern counterpart in terms of the key 'quality of life' indicators such as the ease of finding a job and reasonable housing.

Over a quarter of Belfast residents agreed it was easy to find a job in the city while just 16% of Dublin residents felt the same. The last time the survey was done in 2006, in the midst of the jobs boom, two thirds of Dublin residents said it was easy to land a job.

In Belfast, the drop between 2006 and today has been more modest, going from 39% four years ago to 28% today.

In 2006, when house prices were at their peak, just 5% of Dublin citizens agreed that it was easy to find "good housing".

While this has risen to 29% today on the back of the collapse in property prices, a large majority of Dublin residents obviously still feel that even today's plummeting prices do not represent good value. This endorses the view that house buyers are still waiting for a further drop in prices before they take the plunge, despite statements to the contrary from estate agents.

In Belfast in 2006, 31% felt it was easy to get good houses and this has again jumped more moderately to 48% today.

Dubliners have more positive feelings towards foreigners in their city, the survey found. When asked whether foreigners were "good for the city", 43% of Dublin residents strongly agreed while 39% of Belfast residents thought so.

When asked whether they felt foreigners were "well integrated" into the city, 18% of people in Dublin strongly agreed as against 12% in Belfast.