Nervy nation? Our anxiety levels jumped 5% in spring Brexit chaos

THE anxiety level of Britons leapt nearly per cent last spring as Brexit jitters hit the county, official ratings of happiness showed yesterday.

Household incomes were improving at the time and overall happiness remained unchanged. But fears for the future were raised when Theresa May failed in her attempt to strike a deal with the EU and was humiliated in the European elections.

The Office for National Statistics said levels of anxiety jumped between April and June to reach a rate last recorded six years ago. People asked how anxious they were put their mark at nearly three out of ten – the highest since early 2013.

Between April and June more than six out of every ten people said they were burdened with average to high levels of anxiety. The ONS, which has been collecting happiness measures for eight years, said that during the three-month period ‘all of the economic well-being measures, including real household income, spending and financial wealth per head, grew compared to the same quarter last year.’

It added: ‘Average anxiety ratings increased, while average ratings of life satisfaction, perceptions that the things we do in life are worthwhile and happiness remained unchanged.’