Average Briton is threequarters happy

The average Briton rates their “life satisfaction” as 7.4 out of 10, according to the first annual results of David Cameron’s so-called happiness index.

By The Newsroom

Published 25th Jul 2012, 07:00 BST

Asked how worthwhile they found their activities, the average response was even higher - at 7.7 out of 10 – research by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found. But one in five rated anxiety levels at more than five out of 10.

Women tended to have a greater sense than men of life satisfaction and that what they do is worthwhile, but also reported higher levels of anxiety.

People aged 16 to 19 and 65 to 79 displayed the highest levels of satisfaction, the ONS found.

The figures come from the first Integrated Household Survey of 200,000 people aged 16 and over between April 2011 and March 2012. It was conducted as part of the Prime Minister’s initiative, launched in 2010, to assess the wellbeing of the nation alongside economic data like GDP.

Glenn Everett of the ONS said: “Understanding people’s views of wellbeing is an important addition to existing official statistics.”