Scots 'higher' on happiness scale

Scotland was towards the top end of the happiness scale

People living in Scotland may be happier than those living in the rest of the UK, a government-published study has suggested.

On a ten-point scale, they gave a life satisfaction score of 8.1 compared to 7.2 for the rest of the country.

The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey contradicted a similar study in 2007, which said Scots were less satisfied than their UK counterparts.

The latest study involved interviews with 1,500 people from across Scotland.

People were asked to rate questions on how happy and satisfied they were with their lives, jobs, personal situation and standard of living.

A person may be relatively wealthy or healthy but, if they don't feel that this is the case, it is likely to impact upon their assessment of how happy and satisfied they are Scottish Social Attitudes Survey

The study said it was too early to conclude people in Scotland were happier than those elsewhere in Europe, but added: "The evidence suggests subjective well-being in Scotland is at least on a par with many other Western European countries."

The survey also pointed out its results did not back-up the conclusions by researcher Bell and Blanchflower, which previously said levels of happiness and life satisfaction were "lower in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK".

The latest research put Scotland towards the top end of the happiness scale, ahead of Sweden and Finland, and behind Switzerland and Denmark.

The former eastern bloc countries of Ukraine, Bulgaria were at the bottom of the scale.

According to the study, people who were married, or living as married, were happier than single, separated and divorced people.

It went on to say job satisfaction was lower among men than women, and the unemployed were less satisfied with their lives than those in work.

There was no difference in happiness between those living in the city and the countryside, the study suggested.

The researchers also said a person's own assessment of their health and wealth was strongly linked to their happiness.

"A person may be relatively wealthy or healthy but, if they don't feel this is the case, it is likely to impact upon their assessment of how happy and satisfied they are with their life," said the study.