‘Life's rubbish' for millions of Brits

A quarter of Brits admit to being less happy today than this time last year, according to the first quarterly Life Index conducted on behalf of swiftcover.com.

Unhappiness has been driven by a number of concerns which range across a broad spectrum of everyday interests. Top of today's concerns for British consumers is the continuing rise in petrol prices, with almost two-thirds (61 per cent) citing it as the most concerning aspect of life today (23 per cent are ‘extremely concerned'). This is despite the recent Budget which resulted in a 1p reduction in the price of a litre of petrol.

The Index also found that financial pressure and personal debt is a concerning factor for more than a third (42 per cent) of Brits.

Amanda Edwards, senior manager at swiftcover.com, who commissioned the Index, said: "We as a nation have had a bumpy year or so, driven primarily by financial pressures. It's clear from the Index results that petrol prices are worrying us as it continues to rise from week to week. On top of that, we're feeling the pinch and worries over money are very much a reality for a large portion of the population."

UK citizens noted that a major worry for them was the actions being taken by the Government (58 per cent concerned, 25 per cent extremely concerned) and local councils (44 per cent, 14 per cent extremely concerned).  Financial pressures and debt also feature highly, with 42 per cent admitting to worrying about their financial situation.

Although the worries of the nation are clear to see, there are some areas where Brits are happy. The Index revealed that the areas of happiness were those which could be controlled by an individual and included family (62 per cent being happy with it) and social life (41 per cent being happy with it).

The Index also established the average amount of ‘me time' the nation gets per day as it too is a contributor to the happiness levels. The results showed that on average, Brits get 2½hrs of free time each day. The 25 to 34 year old age range get the least free time with just 1½hrs of free time each day.

With this free time, 46 per cent of Brits look to get out and about to see the sites of Britain. Furthermore, people looking to see new and exciting things in their area are prepared to travel 44.8 miles (approximately one hour's drive) from their home to a place of interest. However, 16 to 24 year olds aren't prepared to go too far, with their journey tolerance set at 28.1 miles, compared to 52.2 miles for the over 55 year olds.

Edwards continued: "It's encouraging to see that we are getting enough spare time to get out and about across Britain, helping to boost our level of happiness. Not only that, but we're willing to travel a fair distance of over 40 miles to get to a place of interest."

swiftcover.com recently launched Roadology on Facebook which enables users to plot journeys and routes alongside places of interest and things to do along the way. Partners include Visit England and Spotify. For more info, visit facebook.com/roadology.