Health, wealth and happiness: week 17

Men are feeling in fine health as spring sporting events spur them on, says Doug Edmonds, managing director of 2CV.

Doug Edmonds
Doug Edmonds

This week’s well-being index rises by 4 points registering at 45, as the nation’s mood continues to climb.

As predicted, well-being is gradually improving and this week it is particularly boosted by men and the middle-aged group, whereas last week’s rise in well-being was driven by women and the younger generation. Despite a turbulent week in politics, including revelations about tax affairs and questionable campaign donations, the news agenda has not dampened the spirits of the general public. The positive effects of the spring weather and pending bank holiday now appear to be enhancing morale across the board.

Men’s well-being jumps significantly by 11 points to 48%, mirroring their health scores which also improve following last week’s drop of 13 points. Now 43% of men are content with their fitness and, across all sexes and ages, health levels increase to 49%. With the FA Cup quarter final and Six Nations Championship providing motivation to get outdoors and get moving, this week we see the largest rise was experienced by the 16-34 year olds with nearly two thirds of these respondents now feeling satisfied by their fitness.

As well as improved well-being and health, men are also feeling more positive about their finances. Increasing by 6 points. A third (33%) are satisfied by their financial situation just after pay day. Happiness at an overall level remains fairly static, increasing by just 4 points, and driven predominantly by the middle-aged band and women. Here are the results by each demographic:

Young people
Overall well-being remains stable, however, health levels reach the highest ever recorded by the index. Marketers should capitalise on the fact that 65% of 16-34 year olds, a rise of 10 points from the previous week, are feeling in shape. Wealth and happiness levels remain stable, with just a 5 point and 3 point increase respectively. This increase in contentment with finances, combined with a drop in wealth levels amongst the older generation, means that the gap between the most affluent group (55-74 year olds) and young people closes.

Middle-aged band
The 35-54 year olds are feeling particularly positive this week, with overall well-being, health and happiness all increasing. Well-being is boosted by 8 points to 40%, health levels rise by 7 points to 45% and happiness increases 6 points to 44%. Perhaps those looking forward to Easter getaways, an event high on marketers’ agendas, is contributing to this rise in overall morale.

Grey market
It is a fairly stable week for the 55-74 year olds, with no remarkable changes across the different aspects. Well-being rises 5 points to 45%, health by 2 points (36%), however, there is a drop of 1 point in wealth levels to 37%. . A small uplift in their happiness to 57% is a continuation of the week-on-week increase amongst older respondents since early February – making them by far the happiest of all generations.