The happiest among us are getting happier, but an unhappy few are being left behind

A “HAPPINESS gap” is opening between those whose outlook has consistently improved amid economic recovery and a significant minority seemingly being left behind.

The official programme championed by David Cameron to measure changes in the nation’s “well-being” carried out a survey that asked people to rate their lives on a scale of nought to 10.

They are asked four separate questions: how satisfied they were with their lives overall; whether they felt that what they did was worthwhile; how happy they were the previous day and how anxious they were the previous day.

The average rating for life satisfaction was 7.6 in the fourth year the survey has been taken – but while the average ratings rose, the Office for National Statistics noted that the number of scores at the top of the scale was growing faster than the share of scores at the bottom is decreasing.

Just under 9 per cent scored their happiness between nought and four, while just over 34 per cent rated it nine or 10. It concluded that the overall rise was being driven by those already nearer the top of the well-being scale scoring more highly each year rather than an evenly distributed improvement – or “raising the ceiling” rather than “lifting the floor”.

Improved well-being has not been felt equally around the UK. While there were average increases in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, there was none in Wales.

The North East and Yorkshire and The Humber – both regions of high unemployment – were the only two English regions with no significant reported improvement in low levels of well-be- ing across all four of the measures. Northern Ireland emerged as the happiest and most contented UK region.

Glenn Everett, the ONS director of well-being, said: “Today’s figures address how people are feeling about their lives. Overall, people are generally rating their lives higher than they did four years ago.

“But what is interesting is that they show a slight growth in inequality between people rating their lives highly and those reporting low levels of personal well-being.

“In other words, a growing inequality that policy makers need to consider.” Juliet Michaelson, the associate director of the New Economics Foundation think tank, said: “It is concerning that the improvement in average well-being seems to be driven by growing inequality, with the increase in people reporting highest levels not matched by the decrease in those reporting lowest levels.

“The most disadvantaged people in our society are being left behind, a trend likely driven by growing economic and social inequalities.

“There are also persistent gaps between people of different ethnicities.”