LONDON - Britain may have a solid economy but
it is one of the loneliest countries in Europe, a survey suggests. Even
the Germans, with a reputation for being aloof, are more likely to have
friends they can rely on in a crisis.
However, the analysis by the
office for National Statistics shows the Germans are less likely than
the British to feel “close” to their neighbours. Britain is ranked 26th
out of the 28 European Union countries by the 
proportion of the
population who say they have someone on whom they could rely.
proportion of the
population who say they have someone on whom they could rely.
Only France and Denmark
scored lower on that measure. But both countries showed significantly
stronger neighbourhood ties than Britain.
The pattern emerges from a
comparison of results from the “happiness” index and similar studies
across Europe.
Britain fares well in comparison with its neighbours on
economic measures as well as having safer streets and better general
health than other countries.
It scores poorly on several environmental
measures but fares well at recycling.
Overall Britons rate their general
satisfaction more highly than average, with 71.8 per cent scoring it at
seven or more out of 10, putting them 11th in the EU.
More than eight out of 10 Britons (81.9 percent) feel their life is generally “worthwhile”, ranking Britain above the EU average of 78.5 per cent.
More than eight out of 10 Britons (81.9 percent) feel their life is generally “worthwhile”, ranking Britain above the EU average of 78.5 per cent.
- In Greece, devastated by the financial crisis, fewer than half the population (47.8 per cent) believe life is worthwhile. Spain, in which youth unemployment reached almost 58 per cent this year, had one of the highest levels of satisfaction, being rated at eighth in the EU.
Significantly,
Spain also had the fifth highest score for good neighbours. Only 58.4
per cent of Britons said they knew people in their community well.
Christian Guy, director of
the Centre for Social Justice think tank, said: “There is something
British about wanting to deal with problems yourself. Perhaps we
internalise things and men think less about taking problems to others
and try to take it all upon themselves.”
Source: Agencies
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