Is this the most miserable place in the UK?

Updated
Barrow Docks and Ship Production Facility,  Barrow in Furness, North West England, with Walney Island behind
Barrow Docks and Ship Production Facility, Barrow in Furness, North West England, with Walney Island behind




Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria has been named the UK's unhappiest place, in the latest findings published by the Office of National Statistics.

The twice-yearly report, Measuring National Wellbeing, was ordered by prime minister David Cameron in order to inform the government not only about Britain's economic progress but also on the public's quality of life.

This year's report has found that on the whole in the UK there has been an increase in ratings of personal wellbeing and happiness. "The year-on-year differences are small but statistically significant in each case, " says the report.

The least happy areas were revealed to be Barrow-in-Furness, Dartford in Kent, Torridge in Devon, Maldon in Essex, and South Ribble in Lancashire.


County Antrim Coast
County Antrim Coast




Meanwhile, four of the five happiest places in the UK were in Northern Ireland. Antrim (pictured above) came top for wellbeing, followed by Fermanagh, Omagh and Dungannon and Babergh in Suffolk.

Report co-author Dawn Snape said people in Northern Ireland were a "conundrum", having scored highly in all aspects of the wellbeing index despite having a high unemployment rate.

"Unemployment is high yet they really buck the trend. At the moment we don't know the answer to this (high wellbeing). It may be down to social connectivity, a great sense of community, maybe it is down to how life is going there now compared with 15 years ago.

"We need to do more research. But it seems quite consistent that people in Northern Ireland rate their wellbeing at a very high level. They have a positive outlook."

These latest estimates suggest improvements in the past year in the average ratings of personal wellbeing in the UK across all of the measures.

Positive economic results - including employment levels and income - during the past year had helped boost happiness levels.

"One possibility is that with the economic news improving, people are feeling more positive about their lives, particularly with the decreasing unemployment rate," said Ms Snape.

"The unemployment rate has a profound impact on happiness. Not only does it affect the people who are unemployed but also those people around them."

She said when economic forecasts are poor, happiness levels also dip among the employed who fear losing their jobs.

The report also found that Richmondshire in Yorkshire has the lowest anxiety level, with the London Borough of Hackney scoring highest.





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Do you live in Barrow-in-Furness? Or Northern Ireland? Do you agree with these findings? Tell us below.

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