Brits are the happiest they've been in a year. Here's why

Britain is quite a lot happier than sad. Last week, according to YouGov, 50% of the population said they were happy and 22% said they were sad. It’s not binary though. There are other measurements including whether we all feel frustrated, stressed, optimistic, don’t know (a pretty steady 2% over the years) and apathetic. At present that sits at 15%. Though, if you were really apathetic would you care to fill out a survey? 

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Taking the numbers as they are, that 28% gap, with sadness dipping way down, is the largest it’s been in over a year. The first week of June 2023 made people feel good (though not sure why – Manchester United lost the FA Cup final to Manchester City and record numbers of syphilis cases were reported in the UK) and that good feeling and gap to low sadness number was the first significant one since back in early 2020. Just before everything changed. 

It should also be said that it’s not clear where the weighting of numbers come from across Britain. That last happiness percentages were drawn before the final of the Euros. Gareth had yet to, nobly, collect his training cones and hand them back in. It may be that the numbers take a knock. A quick question following the final asked if Southgate should receive a knighthood. Some 48% of you said no. Harsh. 

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But it may also be that things tick up further. There are reasons to be hopeful following the King’s Speech outlining the Labour programme for government and what that means for making lives better. There are positive noises about greater local autonomy; they are keen to follow the Manchester model for municipal bus operations; they will bring train franchises into public ownership (rail nationalisation consistently plays well in opinion polls) they’re going to deal with no-fault evictions and they are setting up a new child poverty unit, working across government departments and also bringing in external experts from charities and the third sector.

They are yet to announce a lifting of the loathed and punitive two-child benefits cap, but rumours persist that this will be looked at. It’s hard to see how they can be serious about properly tackling the worst of child deprivation without ridding the country of this. 

Keir Starmer’s mission is to be mission-led. There needs to be much detail yet. We’ll see. 

There is a key survey that catches the eye, tucked away on the polling giant’s site. When asked if they’d rather be stuck in the woods with a man they didn’t know, or a bear, 53% of women aged 18-29 chose the bear. This is not related to the TV show (the third series of which, incidentally, is MUCH better than the mutterers moan, especially the final four episodes), but deals with a real bear. 

If the nation is really to get happier, then lads you’re going to have to buck up your ideas. 

Paul McNamee is editor of the Big Issue. Read more of his columns here. Follow him on Twitter.

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