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UK happiness through the roof
UK consumers are getting happier, according to a study of the nation’s wellbeing released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Overall levels of happiness, life satisfaction and feeling that what we do is worthwhile have all risen, while levels of anxiety are falling. The proportion of people giving the highest ratings for each of these personal well-being metric increased significantly in the two years to April last year. In all, the study considered 43 separate measures of wellbeing in its survey – of these, improvement was recorded in a third of them, and a decline in just two of them.
32.6 per cent of UK adults rated their happiness level at 9 or 10 out of 10 in 2013-14, up from 30.9 per cent in 2012-13. Last year, 26.8 per cent of adults rated their life satisfaction at 9 or 10 out of 10, compared to 5.6 per cent who gave the lowest rating. Just under a third (32.6 per cent) said they felt that what they do in life is worthwhile – up from 31.4 per cent on a year earlier. 39.4 per cent rated their anxiety at the lowest level; 20 per cent rated it at the highest.
However, there were pockets of disconnect, with a third of adults unhappy with their health and wellbeing two years ago despite increased life expectancy rates. However, the study also demonstrated that individuals with higher levels of personal wellbeing also make better health and lifestyle choices, including eating healthily, exercising regularly and not smoking.
“The proportion of people giving the highest ratings for each aspect of personal well-being increased significantly in the financial year ending 2014 compared to the previous year,” said a spokesperson for the ONS. “This suggests that more people in the UK are feeling positive about their lives.”
“The research also suggests a resilience amongst the population who have shown increases in personal well-being despite no improvements in what we do. In the year ending 2013, there was no change in satisfaction levels in our jobs, leisure time or income compared with the previous year, yet despite this, our levels of happiness, life satisfaction, anxiety and a sense that the things we do in life are worthwhile all improved during the same period.’
