British people happier than five years ago, Aviva claims

Monday, June 21, 2010

Insurance giant Aviva has released the results of some recent research in to the British population’s feelings towards their health and wellbeing. According to the insurer, almost two thirds of Britons are content with their current financial situation, abetted by satisfaction in relation to their health and wellbeing.

The study has revealed that 63% of us are much happier these days than we were five years ago, despite the economic crisis which has affected pay scales and staff benefits. Seven out of ten Britons stated for the Aviva Fell-Good Insight Study that relationships, security and health held the most sway when it came to determining levels of happiness and contentment.

According to Aviva, the most common factors cited as creating happiness in Britain today include having enough income to provide a decent standard of living (85%), having a stable family life 81%), enjoying a good standard of health (85%) and getting married, meeting a life partner or spending an anniversary with a spouse (58%).

The study produced a ‘contentment map’ of the UK, focusing on our ten largest cities. It demonstrated that residents in Edinburgh are the most content, while people who live in London are the least satisfied with their lot. The order of cities in order of happiness from then on reads: Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Glasgow, Leicester, Birmingham, Sheffield and Leeds.

Despite the overall growth in British satisfaction levels, 35% of respondents to the study still stated that they felt unappreciated, and Aviva has launched a new campaign inviting people to acknowledge those who have made a positive impact within their community. It is hoped that this will enable people to feel more satisfied about their current situation, by drawing attention to positive behaviours.

Aviva’s Director of Marketing (Gary Price) commented on the study: It is interesting to see that, despite the recession, the last five years have allowed many to reassess what is truly important to them in life.”