Happiness Index: UK population is 'generally happy' - but not about work

Tuesday, 6th December 2011

Three quarters of adults in Great Britain rated their own life satisfaction with a score of seven or more out of 10, according to a research report published by the Office for National Statistics – and those in employment were found to be happier than the unemployed.

But satisfaction with 'financial situation' (6.2 out of 10) had the lowest mean score, followed by 'work situation' (6.7 out of 10) and also 'with time to do the things you like doing' (6.8 out of 10).

When asked specifically about satisfaction with the balance between 'time spent on paid work and on other aspects of life', even lower scores were given, with an average of 6.4 out of 10. It was found that respondents were most satisfied on average with their 'personal relationships' and 'mental well-being' which had the highest mean scores (both at 8.3 out of 10).

The news comes a year after the prime minister David Cameron launched his 'happiness index' to ascertain the areas that matter most to people's overall wellbeing.

In terms of how anxious people felt, more than half those asked rated their levels at below four out of 10 with a quarter reporting zero - 'not at all' anxious during the previous day.

This report brings together initial experimental results looking at individuals' assessment of their own well-being.

The estimates are based on 4,200 adults (aged 16 and over) who answered these questions in the ONS Opinions Survey, from across Great Britain between April and August 2011.

(Source: www.hrmagazine.co.uk extract from article by David Woods, 02 Dec 2011)

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