Londoners are often joked about as being grumpy and unhappy, by tourists who feel the brunt of our unhappiness when they decide to get on the tube without waiting for everyone to get off – or god forbid, stand on the left-hand side of the escalator.
However, it seems people may have a point because the results of the ‘Happy at Home’ index taken out by Right Move has proven that London really is one of the unhappiest places to live in the UK. Dagenham and Barking come in as the unhappiest, with Brent, Newham and Harrow coming in close behind.
We’ve created an interactive map that allows you to find out how your borough measures up. Do you live in Richmond, the capitals happiest area? Or are you living in Harrow, which is among the worst for unhappiness?
[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=19HBChe3i23fWZg1AMcAHvrxHZ_N8pPPN&w=640&h=480]
The ‘Happy at Home’ index is partaken by Right Move every year, and this year they asked over 21,000 UK residents to give their opinions of the areas they live in. The study asks residents to rank 12 happiness factors, which include community spirit, feeling safe and earning enough to live comfortably.
Essex’s Leigh-on-Sea comes in the top spot, with Farnham in Surrey coming second. The only Welsh town to make the top 5 is Monmouth which comes in at third, shortly followed by Christchurch in Dorset at number 4. Rounding off the top 5 is Leamington Spa, which is situated in the Midlands.
Infographic: Ruby Naldrett created with Piktochart (Pictures sourced via Wikimedia)
The happiest places to live in the UK are all situated outside of London, which may explain why they scored highly on the ‘feeling safe and living comfortably’ factor. Barking and Dagenham which has been voted the unhappiest place to live has extremely high crime rates. The Met Police reported that between October 2016 and October 2018 with over 680,700 cases of theft happening in the area.
Between the crime rates and the cost of living, will London ever make it into the top 5?
Words: Ruby Naldrett | Subbing: Victoria Locke
Featured Image: Walkerssk via Pixabay