Wellbeing in the UK

Are you happier now than you were a year ago? The latest data on UK wellbeing suggests that, on average, the answer is no. But while wellbeing across the UK may be on the wane, the gap between the UK’s happiest and unhappiest places is getting smaller.

In 2023 BiGGAR Economics published analysis on the distribution of wellbeing across the UK using wellbeing adjusted life years (WELLBYs), a simple metric that combines life satisfaction with life expectancy. The underlying data has since been updated, so we updated the analysis to see what’s changed.

Mind the Gap

At a UK level, a small increase in life expectancy was not quite enough to compensate for a small fall in life satisfaction, resulting in average WELLBYs/person falling slightly (from 614/person to 602/person).

Things get more interesting at a national level. In N. Ireland, average WELLBYs increased largely as a result of an improvement in life satisfaction. However, on this side of the Irish Sea, falling life expectancy and declining life satisfaction combined to produce a fall in average WELLBYs in Scotland.

The takeaway? Scots seem to be getting sadder and sicker while our neighbours to the west are getting happier and healthier.

So, whilst things may not be improving much overall, at least the gap between local areas has closed a little.

Local Changes

Relatively small sample sizes at the local level make it important to avoid direct comparisons between local authorities. However, looking at how things have changed within administrative boundaries can be revealing.

In 2023, Scotland was a land of extremes. It was home to two of the top 10 local authorities with the highest WELLBYs in the UK (Orkney and the Western Isles) and five of the 10 local authorities with the lowest average WELLBYs per person (Inverclyde, Dundee City, North Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire and Glasgow City). In the updated analysis, Orkney has been knocked off the top spot and Na h-Eileanan Siar no longer appears in the top 10. However, there are now only four Scottish local authorities in the bottom 10. Inverclyde, it would appear, is bucking the trend.

Not only is Inverclyde no longer ranked amongst the bottom 10 performers, it no longer appears in the bottom 20. Average WELLBYs increased from 566 to 574, a bigger improvement than any other local authority in Scotland, and all but 12 other local authorities in the UK.

This may not surprise the locals.

Two weeks ago, Port Glasgow, one of Inverclyde’s main towns, earned the dubious distinction of being named Scotland’s “most dismal” town. Following an angry backlash, Urban Realm, the magazine behind the award, had a change of heart.

This week, it was reported that the controversial “Plook on the Plinth” Carbuncle Award had been replaced with the more positively named “Heart On Your Sleeve Award”. Intended to recognise untapped potential and community spirit, Inverclyde was named as the first winner.

Our analysis suggests this was a good call.

Find Out More

If you would like to know more about our work on wellbeing, please contact us at wellbeing@biggareconomics.co.uk