People put on brave face despite costs crisis

People in the area say they are feeling more satisfied with their lives than before the coronavirus pandemic – due to a recent rise in satisfaction levels in the last year.

Office for National Statistics figures show the average person in Northumberland answered the question "how satisfied are you with your life nowadays" at 7.7 out of 10 in the year to March – up from 7.5 the year before, and above pre-pandemic levels, when residents in the area rated their satisfaction level at 7.6.

The survey asked people to rate their ‘satisfaction’ levels between one – “not at all" – to 10 – which was "completely".

Nationally, satisfaction levels have rebounded in the last year - sitting at 7.5, up from 7.4 in 2020-21 but below 7.7 in the year to March 2020.

Mental Health UK said it is encouraging to see people's wellbeing start to improve after the "seismic shocks of the pandemic", but warned that more must still be done to combat poor wellbeing in society, especially during the cost of living crisis.

Brian Dow, chief executive of the charity, said: "It is clear we have not rebounded back to where we were and the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis should serve as a reminder of the range of factors that influence our wellbeing.

"It should also reinforce the need for mental health to remain a consistent priority that doesn’t just come into the spotlight during a national emergency.”