PEOPLE living in Bristol are less likely to be happy than those in some neighbouring areas, a major new government survey has concluded.
The average city dweller rates their 'life satisfaction' as 7.3 out of 10 – compared to 7.68 in Bath & North East Somerset – in the ratings championed by David Cameron and nicknamed the happiness index.
The figures come from the first Integrated Household Survey compiled by the Office for National Statistics, which questioned 200,000 people aged 16 and over between April last year and March this year.
The Coalition wants to assess the wellbeing of the nation, as well as its economic prosperity, and says the survey, which cost £2 million to compile, could be used to shape future government policy.
People were asked four key questions: How satisfied they were with life, how worthwhile they thought their life was, how happy they had been the previous day, and how anxious they had been the previous day, rating their feelings from zero to 10.
Bristolians came out of the survey less satisfied and happy than the national average, but with less anxiety. However, the city ranked higher than Manchester and London.
By most measures, the city council area came out worse than those living in the three surrounding districts.
This tallied with the national picture, which said people living in built-up areas tended to be less happy than those in rural places.
Bristol was well down the life satisfaction table – in 127th place out of 142 areas. A comparable city to Bristol, Nottingham, was ranked 94th, with an average satisfaction rating of 7.42. The highest average was 8.10, in Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides.
Bristol West MP Stephen Williams said cities had "more complex societies" than more rural communities.
He said: "Compared to other cities, Bristol has an awful lot to offer, like fantastic green spaces and easy access to the countryside."
The Lib Dem said he thought the survey was a worthwhile exercise, adding: "It's about understanding what's important to people, which is more than things like base economic data and educational attainment."
When areas were ranked in terms of the numbers of people who rated their satisfaction with life at seven out of ten or above, B&NES was top of the pile in the entire country, with more than 85 per cent of people putting themselves in the top bracket.
People tended to be happiest when they were in their teenage years or around retirement age, and married people scored higher than those who were single, cohabiting or divorced.
Being a homeowner, having a job and being healthy were all more likely to lead to happy responses.
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.
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