Happiness levels in UK fail to recover to pre-pandemic norm as prices surge
Happiness levels have failed to return to their pre-pandemic norm in the UK, particularly among younger people as the blow of Covid-19 on the nation’s mental health is compounded by the cost of living crisis.
Twenty-three per cent of Britons reported their life satisfaction was “very high” in the last quarter of 2022, down from an average of 30 per cent in 2019 before the health crisis, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics.
The official figures chime with a large study by the Resolution Foundation think-tank, conducted in March which found that 30 per cent of respondents — or 16mn adults — said their health had been negatively affected by rising living costs.
Inflation and borrowing costs have surged in the wake of the coronavirus crisis which itself took a heavy toll on people’s mental health.
Brian Dow, deputy chief executive of Mental Health UK, said the “cost of living has hampered the nation’s recovery from the pandemic, people’s wellbeing has clearly continued to suffer”.
This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Valentina Romei
