As of 2022, ** percent of people in the United Kingdom thought that the Baby Boomer generation had the best quality of life over their lifetime, compared with just *** percent who thought the pre-war generation had the best quality of life.

An overview of UK’s progress across ten domains of national well-being. Latest and historical data are provided. Sub-population breakdowns by UK countries and ITL1 regions, age and sex, as well as quality information, are included where available.

As of June 2025, the average score for how happy people felt in the UK was 7.1 out of ten, people aged 70 and over reporting an average score of 7.7, the highest among the provided demographics.

Luxembourg stands out as the European leader in quality of life for 2025, achieving a score of 220 on the Quality of Life Index. The Netherlands follows closely behind with 211 points, while Albania and Ukraine rank at the bottom with scores of 104 and 115 respectively. This index provides a thorough assessment of living conditions across Europe, reflecting various factors that shape the overall well-being of populations and extending beyond purely economic metrics. Understanding the quality of life index The quality of life index is a multifaceted measure that incorporates factors such as purchasing power, pollution levels, housing affordability, cost of living, safety, healthcare quality, traffic conditions, and climate, to measure the overall quality of life of a Country. Higher overall index scores indicate better living conditions. However, in subindexes such as pollution, cost of living, and traffic commute time, lower values correspond to improved quality of life. Challenges affecting life satisfaction Despite the fact that European countries register high levels of life quality by for example leading the ranking of happiest countries in the world, life satisfaction across the European Union has been on a downward trend since 2018. The EU's overall life satisfaction score dropped from 7.3 out of 10 in 2018 to 7.1 in 2022. This decline can be attributed to various factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic and economic challenges such as high inflation. Rising housing costs, in particular, have emerged as a critical concern, significantly affecting quality of life. This issue has played a central role in shaping voter priorities for the European Parliamentary Elections in 2024 and becoming one of the most pressing challenges for Europeans, profoundly influencing both daily experiences and long-term well-being.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The purpose of this study was to probe subjective indicators of social life in various aspects - housing, health, education, job, standard of living, district, democratic processes and leisure. Main Topics: Attitudinal/Behavioural Questions Satisfactory/unsatisfactory aspects of house/district, most important aspects of house/district, number of relations living nearby, frequency of use of public transport. Perceived level of democracy in Britain today, respondents asked which of the following they considered most important - law and order, giving people more say, higher standard of living, freedom of speech. (Inglehart-type values). Comparison of own family's standard of living with other families' when respondent aged 12, assessment of standard of living of various social groups and respondent's opinion of their deserved level, assessment of own standard of living (present, 5 years ago, 5 years hence, deserved), subjective assessment of occupational group (expected group if respondent was student). Most/least important factors deciding a person's standard of living. Satisfaction with financial situation, extra money needed per week, expectation of receiving the extra over next 2 years, what extra needed for, things 'done without', attitude to differential income increases during price freeze, assessment of own standard of living in relation to the average in Britain. Respondents asked to agree/disagree with a number of statements to indicate degree of anomie, general satisfaction with life (present, 5 years ago, 5 years hence, deserved), most important aspects of life, respondents asked to rate their present life along a number of axes. Measures of satisfaction made for job, house, district, town, democracy, leisure, standard of living, finance, health and education. Facilities most/least needed in area, desired change in personal or social circumstances. Responsibility for having more/less than respondent feels entitled to, feeling rushed/having time on hands. Satisfaction with own job, most important aspects of job, suggested improvements if own education repeated. Leisure activities in/outside the home, hours spent on various activities, changes desired/expected in leisure activities over next 2 years. Worries, illnesses, longstanding complaints or disabilities. Consumer durables desired/expected over next year. Background Variables Age, race, social grade of head of household and respondent if working. Marital status, occupational status, sex (asked for all members of household). Number of children, age of youngest child, number of siblings (position of respondent), age finished full-time education, type of school attended, highest educational qualification. Age range of persons in household, household status. Residence: type, tenure, length, number of rooms/bedrooms, number of floors, shared amenities. Urban type. Employment status, length of employment, shiftwork, income, journey to work (time). Father's occupation when respondent aged 12, occupation of respondent and father (when respondent aged 12) classified on three scales. Standard Industrial Classification. Socio-economic group and IPA social grade. Religious affiliation, interest in politics, political support (strength), trade union membership, membership of any professional associations, daily/evening/Sunday/local weekly newspaper read regularly.

The Cancer Quality of Life Survey is an ongoing national survey run by the NHS in England. The survey is for people in England who have had a cancer diagnosis, with people invited to complete the survey around 18 months after diagnosis. It has been running since September 2020, with a gradual roll-out to all cancer sites. The aim of the survey is to find out how quality of life may have changed for people diagnosed with cancer. The survey asks people who have experienced cancer how they are feeling. Their answers will be compared with information about their cancer diagnosis and treatment. This will help the NHS see where care is working well or not so well, and if any new services are needed. It will help the NHS to improve the way it supports people to live as long and as well as possible. The survey is made up of two questionnaires which measure overall health (EQ-5D) and quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30). The survey results are reported in an interactive dashboard, including summary score measures and more detailed measures of different aspects of quality of life, including aspects of health (such as mobility), functional categories (such as emotional) and symptoms (such as fatigue). Results are reported by geographies and cancer sites, and with breakdowns by demographic groups. This release updates the data included in the dashboard, to additionally include data for patients invited from October 2024 to March 2025 and to include response data received up to 11th May 2025. This release provides data for a number of additional broad and detailed cancer types.

This study is the fifth in a series of national surveys commissioned by the Department of the Environment to investigate people's environmental concerns, awareness and behaviour. The previous four surveys were carried out in 1986, 1989, 1993 and 1996-1997. Users should note that the UK Data Archive currently holds the first three surveys in addition to this one (SNs 2684, 2685 and 3329), but not the fourth (conducted in 1996-1997).
The objectives of the research were to: