The property portal’s Happy at Home Index asked residents how they felt about their area and was completed by more than 26,000 people this year.
The borough of Richmond upon Thames in London was crowned the happiest place to live in in the UK, followed by Winchester in Hampshire and then Monmouth in Wales. Galashiels was declared the happiest place to live in Scotland for the second year in a row.
Richmond’s victory marked the first time a London location has topped the Rightmove poll, now in its 12th year. Residents of the borough scored it highly for feeling a sense of belonging to the area and being comfortable to be themselves, as well as its access to nature and green spaces, being home to Bushy and Richmond Royal Parks.
The study found that overall, rural residents are happier than city residents, especially those living near a national park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Researchers found that feeling a sense of pride, belonging and community is most likely to contribute to feeling happy to live in an area, more than having access to things like public transport, schools and job opportunities.
Click here to view our Sponsored Content Hub
Residents who lived near woodland, mountains, the coast or a river, were more likely to be happy in their area than those who live in a built-up area.
Around one in three (30%) think they would be happier living somewhere else, with the South West the most popular region this group aspires to move to. This group is most likely to be younger (18 to 34), currently living in an urban or built-up area, or come from London, the East Midlands or the West Midlands.
When considering where they may be happier living, this group are split between staying in the same region (46%) and moving to a completely new part of Great Britain (54%).
Why move house?
Rightmove found that there are always many individual motivations driving house moves, and this year the top reason people said they were looking to move home was to find an area that makes them happier (37%).
Moving to a bigger home (28%), looking for better value for money (27%), wanting a change of lifestyle (24%) and changes to personal circumstances (21%) also came high on the list of reasons people are looking to move.
Downsizing (11%), reducing energy costs (10%) and taking advantage of remote working to live somewhere new (9%) were other factors for those planning a move.
Tim Bannister, Rightmove property expert, said: “Searching for new areas outside of the city that are still commutable on office days and looking for cheaper properties that are in need of renovation are just some of the actions we’ve seen determined movers take this year.
“The results of this year’s study highlight that residents continue to value living near green spaces and natural beauty, features that became all the more important during the pandemic. With moving to an area that makes them happy a key motivator for people looking for their next home, highlighting these types of features nearby could really help sellers looking to appeal to potential buyers”.
