Embargoed until May 30th 2008
People in London perfectly reflect the average findings of a study looking at happy homes released by O2 Broadband today. The nationwide study, commissioned in association with The Happiness Project, found that 84% of London residents think they have a happy home – mirroring the national average.
Do you always look on the positive side of life? It could be down to how contented you are at home according to the results of the study, which found that our home environment has an overwhelming impact on how we view life.
The Happy Homes study investigated the criteria that 17 cities in the UK believe make a happy home. The study also examined the activities we undertake in our houses that make us the happiest, what home comforts we most desire and how much we spend on our houses per month to maintain a happy balance.
According to the research:
- Family is the most important aspect of life for London residents (38%), followed by love life (19.4%) and home life (19.1%)
- Londoners topped the nation for finding their social lives an important factor in their happiness, reflecting the availability of pubs, clubs and social activities in the capital (10.6%)
- Surfing the net has now truly become a way of life with more than a third of London residents (37.4%) claiming broadband is the item they could not live without, well ahead of a television (24%), a phone line (15%) and a dishwasher (4%)
- According to nearly a third of London residents, using the internet makes them happier than having sex! Predictably, twice the number of men than women (38% compared with 14%) viewed sex as their favourite home activity
- Most London households (65%) spend up to £50 a month maintaining a happy home, slightly higher than the national average of 50%
“With 90% of people stating that their home environment has a positive impact on their happiness levels, it is clear just how important it is to maintain a happy home,” said Ben Renshaw, director of The Happiness Project. “Whether it’s trying to argue less with those we live with, giving our homes a good spring clean every now and then or making sure we have a spare bag of sugar for a neighbour in need, it can bring us one step closer to feeling better about the place we live.”
Brighton has the happiest homes whereas Belfast has the least happy homes in the UK.
Happy Homes league table
1. Brighton
2. Leeds
3. Edinburgh
4. Cardiff
5. Plymouth
6. Birmingham
7. Liverpool
8. Sheffield
9. London
10. Southampton
11. Manchester
12. Bristol
13. Glasgow
14. Nottingham
15. Newcastle
15. Coventry
17. Belfast
-ends-
press enquiries
press enquiries