Happiness drops following pandemic

PEOPLE in Barnsley are feeling more unhappy with their lives than before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Office for National Statistics figures show the average person answered the question ‘how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?’ at 7.3 out of ten.

It remains below pre-pandemic levels when residents in the area gave an answer of 7.7.

In Barnsley, the average person was not as happy in 2021/22 than the year previous, with happiness ratings falling from 7.4 to 7.2.

Meanwhile, anxiety levels fell from 3.2 to 3.

Feelings that things in life are worthwhile also increased across the country, though still remain below pre-pandemic levels.

People living in Barnsley rated their life as worthwhile at 7.5 out of 10 – below 8 in 2019/20.