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Based on a quantitative population survey, this contribution examines the perceptions of the inhabitants of the city center of Liège (n=557) regarding the nuisance caused by the presence of prostitution and, more generally, sex-related businesses. The results, demonstrating the a priori contradictory coexistence of a certain abstract tolerance of the phenomenon and a clear rejection of its concrete manifestations, are then questioned in the light of the underlying economic and moral logics. Finally, the findings are discussed in relation to the global neoliberal context and the search for attractiveness that characterize European cities.