Recovery from the deepest recession in Britain’s post-war history has left Britons healthier, better off, less likely to be victims of crime and living greener lives, according to the latest official snapshot of national wellbeing.
Life expectancy and living standards rose while unemployment fell during a three-year period from 2012-14, a time when the UK finally shrugged off the after effects of the financial crisis that began in 2007.
The Office for National Statistics said its fourth report on national wellbeing had shown that there had been improvements in 17 of its measures, a deterioration in eight and no change in 11.
Areas of life which the survey showed as improving included personal finances and the economy, with real median household income and net national disposable income both rising and joblessness going down.
There was a a fall in the proportion finding it difficult to get by, which the ONS said was a sign that Britons were less worried about their finances. Healthy life expectancy continued, although at the same time satisfaction with health fell sharply from 66.3% to 57.8%.
“The majority of improvements relate to objective measures of national wellbeing such as the unemployment rate, while the majority of measures assessed as deteriorated are subjective measures, such as satisfaction with health,” the ONS said.
It added that between 2012 and 2014 crimes against the person dropped by a third, from 82 per 1,000 adults to 57 per 1,000 adults in the financial year ending 2015.
Net national disposable income per head rose modestly from £22,487 to £22,786 and the proportion finding it difficult to cope financially fell from 11.6% to 9.1%.
More energy was produced from renewable sources, but at 7% was less than halfway towards the government’s target of 15% by 2020. Waste recycling rates increased slightly to just under 45%, closing in on the EU target of 50% by 2020. Between 2011 and 2014, greenhouse gas emissions fell from 553.4m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to 514.4m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
But the ONS said not all areas of life in the UK were getting better, adding that the proportions satisfied with accommodation, household income and leisure time had all fallen over the three-year period. Mental wellbeing scores also fell over the period as did the proportion who had a spouse or partner, family member or friend to rely on if they had a serious problem. Adult participation in sport has also fallen.
The latest data showed few changes in children’s overall wellbeing, with children reporting relatively high levels of personal wellbeing and positive relationships with parents. “However, there are still areas of concern, such as the proportion of children who report being bullied frequently and the proportion of children reporting symptoms of mental ill-health.”
The ONS study also looked at whether the UK had a sustainable future.
“Looking at national stocks of things such as education, skills and competencies in the labour market (human capital) and the value of natural resources such as woodlands and rivers (natural capital), there is a mixed message about sustainability for the future. Human capital rose between 2013 and 2014, but remains below levels seen before the financial crisis and latest data for natural capital shows long term decline.”
