Tuesday 28 February 2012

What Makes New Zealanders Happy Revealed by UMR

UMR Research today released the second part of our Happiness of New Zealand research, which looks at how aspects of life relate to our happiness. The research shows that the factors most associated with being happy include:

• Being very satisfied with your work / life balance
• Being very satisfied with your achievements in life
• Being highly involved in the community
• Being very satisfied with your physical fitness
• Being politically on the firm right.

It also shows that:

• 1 in 4 of us thinks that we are good looking, while 1 in 10 thinks that our looks are below average. While thinking that you are good looking does not seem to make you happier, thinking that your looks are below average does seem to make you less happy.
• Those who identify as politically left-wing (44%) outnumber those who identify as politically right-wing (35%).

“The fact that work / life balance is one of the key drivers of happiness fits with the first Happiness report, which showed that retired people were particularly likely to be happy. Although two thirds of us say that we enjoy our jobs, one of the best ways to make New Zealanders happy could well be improving their work / life balance.” UMR Research Director Gavin White said today.

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