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Are you content? England’s most satisfied areas revealed

Where are you on the eudaimonic dimension? Discover the concept of being content in England.

People enjoying a meal in a pub in England (London). Image by Tim Sandle
People enjoying a meal in a pub in England (London). Image by Tim Sandle

High Peak ranks as England’s most satisfied area, based on life satisfaction data based on the UK government’s Annual Population Survey. After this,Torridge and Blaby take second and third, respectively. Defining ‘satisfaction’ is not straightforward and it is a contested term. However, the government has sought to do so using a set of standard metrics.

This contrasts with some psychological approaches that seek to assess the evaluative dimension (an appraisal of one’s life); the affective dimension (our daily emotional experiences); and the eudaimonic dimension (act of living a life of virtue in pursuit of human excellence). The latter is the Aristotelian view, where people are driven to pursue our potential, to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be.This can be replaced by hedonic happiness, or pleasure and enjoyment, depending upon the ethical approach to happiness that an individual wishes to adopt.

The company CBDfx has analysed data from the Office for National Statistics, which surveyed a sample of homes nationwide. The average response out of 10 for the survey question ‘Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?’ was analysed for each local authority in England.

The results showed that the average answer out of 10 for life satisfaction was 8.34 based on the latest 2021 data, which was the highest of any England area. This was the highest recorded result on the survey of any year, with 2020 recording the lowest score with just 7.45 out of 10 for life satisfaction.

The outcome was:

RankArea nameAverage score out of 10 for the question ‘Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?’ (2021)
1High Peak8.34
2Torridge8.25
3Blaby8.10
4Hambleton8.09
5West Lindsey8.07
6Lichfield8.06
7Dartford8.05
=Worthing8.05
8Horsham8.03
9North West Leicestershire8.02
10Hinckley and Bosworth8.01

Hambleton takes a close fourth place on the list, with the Lancashire area scoring 8.09 out of 10 for life satisfaction based on the average survey response. Life satisfaction was overall highest in 2018 based on the survey results, with the area seeing an average score of 8.25 out of 10 that year.

Rounding out the top five is the Lincolnshire area of West Lindsey, which scored an average of 8.07 out of 10 for life satisfaction in the survey. Life satisfaction was highest in 2018, with the year taking a close lead over the latest result, with an average score of 8.08 out of 10.

ONS Annual Population Survey, where this data is taken from, asked a sample of people from across England several questions related to things like employment and unemployment, housing, health, and education. In this case, survey results for the question on life satisfaction, which was scaled out of 10, were analysed for each local authority in England.

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Written By

Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news. Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

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