<P> While the second city status of any country is decided upon a variety of economic or cultural indices, both Birmingham and Manchester have shown an edge in each over the years . For example, in 2010, Manchester City Centre became second to London for new office building take - up with almost a million square foot (86,400 m) occupied in the year, whilst praise for Birmingham's striking modern architecture was cited as confirmation of its claim to second city status . </P> <P> As the Second City is an unofficial title and one of subjective opinion, a number of polls have been conducted over the years . Despite Birmingham being viewed as the traditional second city, public polls have shown a consistent preference for Manchester since 2000 . This shift has been attributed to Manchester's and the wider Greater Manchester region's rebranding of itself, most notably after the 1996 Manchester bombing and the successful hosting of the 2002 Commonwealth Games: </P> <Ul> <Li> A 2002 survey conducted by Ipsos MORI, commissioned by "Visit Manchester" (Manchester's tourism department), Manchester received the highest response for the category of second city at 34%, compared to Birmingham at 29%; and in the same poll, Manchester had the highest response for the category of third city with 27% of the vote, 6% more than the 21% for Birmingham . 85% of respondents put London as first City . </Li> <Li> A 2007 survey conducted by GfK commissioned by the BBC in December 2006 investigating the subject of the "' Second city' of England" (as opposed to the UK as a whole), 48% of 1,000 people placed Manchester, with 40% choosing Birmingham . </Li> <Li> A 2015 survey by YouGov showed that 30% thought Manchester was the second city, 20% thought Birmingham and 12% thought Edinburgh . </Li> <Li> A 2017 survey by BMG Research, commissioned by the Birmingham Mail, showed 38% preferred Manchester as the second city versus 36% for Birmingham . 16% choose Edinburgh with 10% for other cities . The opinion poll also found a stark generational divide with 44% of 18 to 24 year olds choosing Manchester as their preferred second city compared with only 19% who stated Birmingham and 25% of this age group also selecting Edinburgh over Birmingham . However, of those 65 and older, 40% preferred Birmingham and 38% preferred Manchester . </Li> </Ul> <Li> A 2002 survey conducted by Ipsos MORI, commissioned by "Visit Manchester" (Manchester's tourism department), Manchester received the highest response for the category of second city at 34%, compared to Birmingham at 29%; and in the same poll, Manchester had the highest response for the category of third city with 27% of the vote, 6% more than the 21% for Birmingham . 85% of respondents put London as first City . </Li>

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