An increasing number of people in the UK are feeling positive about their lives, according to a report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Figures from the
Personal Well-being in the UK, 2014/15 show that reported personal wellbeing has improved every year since financial year ending 2012 – when data were first collected.
On average people in the UK rated their life satisfaction as 7.6 – on a scale from zero to 10 – in the financial year ending 2015.
People in London reported lower personal wellbeing than the equivalent UK averages, but London has seen improvements across all the average measures of personal wellbeing, particularly in reductions to anxiety since data were first collected.
ONS director of wellbeing, Glenn Everett. said: “We often talk of how the country is doing, usually in economic terms.
“Today's figures address how people are feeling about their lives. Overall, people are generally rating their lives higher than they did four years ago.
Everett added, however, that – just as with economic wealth – the inequality gap is getting wider.
“What is interesting is that the figures show a slight growth in inequality between people rating their lives highly and those reporting low levels of personal wellbeing. In other words, a growing inequality that policy makers need to consider."
The data analysed for the report came from the
Annual Population Survey (APS) personal well-being dataset, covering the period April 2014 to March 2015.
The ONS began measuring personal wellbeing in April 2011, using the APS to ask four questions to monitor personal wellbeing:
• How satisfied are you with your life nowadays?
• To what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?
• How happy did you feel yesterday?
• How anxious did you feel yesterday?
Studies have previously linked the positive effect of income and spending on well-being – suggesting that
as household income rises, life satisfaction and happiness also rise, and anxiety levels fall.
The ONS report could be good news for those offering leisure activities, as spending on leisure is often seen by consumers as discretionary and non-essential. An increase in wellbeing could mean that people have more disposable income.
To download and read the full
Personal Well-being in the UK, 2014/15 report,
click here.
INFOGRAPHS
Charting the answers to the four questions posed in the APSOn average people in the UK rated their Life Satisfaction as 7.6 in financial year ending 2015 when measured on a scale from 0- 10. This is up 0.2 from financial year ending 2012.
In financial year ending 2015 for the first time, the UK average rating of worthwhile has significantly increased from financial year 2012, to 7.8.
Average UK Happiness has increased by 0.18 between financial year ending 2012 and financial year ending 2015 to reach 7.5 out of 10.
Anxiety has experienced the largest change between financial year ending 2012 and financial year ending 2015, at a reduction in the average of 0.28.
