Financial stability is the factor most affecting the wellbeing of UK citizens, according to a new report.
Research by health and wellbeing charity Central YMCA has revealed a 52% divide in wellbeing scores between the most and least financially confident people in society.
Being happy with your finances causes a 19% uplift in wellbeing scores, while being extremely worried about money causes a 33% fall, according to research undertaken for the report - which questioned a nationally representative sample of 1,000 UK adults on 14 statements relating to wellbeing and how various lifestyle factors affect these.
Britain’s financial inequality gap is said to be widening, with research by Oxfam this year revealing that the richest 1% of the UK population owns more than 20 times the wealth of the poorest fifth.
Another 2015 study by the London School of Economics found that young people in their 20s were 18% worse off than 20 year olds were just five years ago, indicating the speed of change.
Other factors significantly impacting wellbeing were: lacking good relationships, which led to a 50% swing in scores; lacking mental stimulation, which brought about a 48% divide; while a 32% gap was present between the most and least physically active residents in the UK.
