Sunderland folk among most anxious in the country

People in Sunderland are among the most anxious in the UK, according to a new survey.

The Office for National Statistics shows (ONS) carries out research every year to gauge the personal well-being of citizens across the nation.

It includes asking respondents aged 16 or over to rate their level of anxiety over a given day, with zero representing “not at all anxious” and 10“completely anxious”.

The average score for people in Sunderland in 2018-19 was 3.21 – among the highest of any area.

Across the UK, the average score was 2.87, while the figure across the North East stood at 2.85.

Anxiety scores have fallen across the UK since the survey began in 2011-12, when it was 3.13.

People were also asked to rank their happiness, life satisfaction and sense of the things they do in life being worthwhile on a scale from zero to 10, with 10 being the highest.

The average happiness score in Sunderland was 7.48, roughly inline with the previous year. This bucked the trend across the UK, where the happiness score hit 7.56 – a record high.

Mark Winstanley, chief executive of the charity Rethink Mental Illness, said the rise in happiness scores and drop in those for anxiety could mean people are investing more in looking after their mental health.

“However, it’s important that we do not conflate improved well-being with a reductionin people experiencing a mental illness,” he added.

“For every person that’s reportedly feeling less anxious, there is another that’ s just been diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder, with many struggling to get the care and treatment they need.”