Recently, when Time Out released the results of our worldwide city index for 2022, our poor ol’ Sydneytown didn't exactly come out on top. Ranking 46 out of 53, our city, (for the second-year in a row) came in second-worst in the world for nightlife, while 71% of respondents said that Sydney also sucks when it comes to hooking up, with Singapore, Stockholm and Porto being the only cities that ranked below us for the saucy stuff. The biggest tragedy of this all however, (according to the internet) was the big news that Sydney came in third-last on the planet for making new friends.
Although we acknowledge that the Time Out Index 2022 isn’t an exact science, this survey did draw on the individual responses of 30,000 people from all over the world, as well as from Time Out’s vast international web of expert editors and contributors, who all answered a series of varied questions about the highs and lows of life in their respective cities.
As such, when released, this Sydney news seemingly struck a wide and resounding chord with people from all over our city and the world, with over 100,000 people having read our story so far, as well as it appearing across the likes of the Sydney Morning Herald, Junkee and news.com.
And, it wasn’t only media outlets that chimed in. On Time Out Sydney’s Facebook post, over 3,000 people were quick to jump in and comment what they thought, sharing their own takes, experiences and opinions on whether or not Sydney truly is the tragic friendless void that most folk seem to think it to be.
There were many Facebook commenters that vehemently agreed with the results.
One Facebook commenter said; “Yep. I’m not surprised at this ranking. It is very hard to make new friends here”.
Another commenter echoed this sentiment, saying; “I agree. Sydney is tough. Everyone is so busy just trying to make ends meet, put a roof over their head, educate themselves, keep fit, and still find time to socialise. It’s not easy.”
Another said; “Indeed. I can vouch for that. I feel it since moving back from overseas".
Another chimed in, saying; “There is little sincerity - people say ‘oh you must come by soon’ and nothing happens.”
A significant number of responses on the post were in agreement with the survey’s results, with many people saying that they felt lonely in Sydney, that it is overly cliquey, and that they had found making friends very challenging. Despite many people agreeing with Sydney’s poor ranking, there were also a large number of people who seriously disagreed.
One person commented saying; “I must be in the 29% thinking otherwise! Made a heap of friends and met my wife in my 5 year spell in Sydney, couldn’t be happier. It’s all about the attitude.”
Someone else agreed, saying; “I do not believe this. I made some of the most amazing, best, lifelong friends in Sydney!! Met so many cool people!”
Another commenter continued driving the positive train, saying; “And yet, I made some of the best friends I have while living there. So I guess it is different for everyone.”
One Facebook commenter ended things off with a sage piece of advice for friend-seekers everywhere.
“Get a greyhound!! Easiest way to find new friends :) ”.
We can't argue with that one.