Life happiness is on decline
Australia's collective wellbeing is falling, with more people anxious and questioning the quality of their life.
A special survey by the National Australia Bank has found West Australians only have a better sense of wellbeing than Queenslanders and Victorians and below that of Tasmania.
West Australians were more likely to report not feeling happy and to be unsatisfied with their life. They also reported falling levels of having a worthwhile life.
For the second consecutive quarter, nationwide wellbeing dropped. People earning more than $100,000 a year, those who live in a regional or rural centre, those without children and the retired all enjoyed relatively high levels of wellbeing.
A big increase in the number of women reporting feelings of anxiety and falls across many other parts of the community contributed to the overall drop. Just 20 per cent of those questioned said they had a "high" level of worthwhile life.
NAB chief economist Alan Oster said a few key factors determined whether someone noted a high level of wellbeing.
People who reported high levels of overall wellbeing scored highly when it came to mental wellbeing, the house they lived in, personal safety and work-life balance. Among those with a very low wellbeing, financial security, standard of living and physical health were all listed as big issues.
The length of time it takes to get to work, the quality of a person's house and the level of education all detracted from the wellbeing of many Australians.
Widows continue to report high levels of wellbeing.
"Mental wellbeing, feeling part of the community and physical health are significantly stronger contributors to the wellbeing of widows when compared to married couples," Mr Oster said.
Divorcees reported higher levels of wellbeing.
By contrast, married people reported lower levels on every measure of wellbeing including whether they were happy, anxious or living a satisfied life.
And despite having the highest wages, the levels of wellbeing across people earning more than $100,000 a year fell over the past three months. Despite the fall, they remain happier than those on lower incomes.
