Married couples are the UK’s happiest people – but money worries put strain on relationships
With Valentine's Day just around the corner, it's fitting that new figures published today show 84.4 per cent of those in married or civil partnerships said they were "happy" in 2014.
When asked to rank life satisfaction out of 10, 32 per cent of married people gave an answer of nine or 10.
This compares with 26 per cent of those cohabiting or in same sex relationships, and 21 per cent of single people, according to data from the Office of National Statistics.
Just 18.4 per cent of divorced or separated people ranked their happiness as 9 or 10. These people were the unhappiest, with 11.9 per cent giving an answer of 4 or below.
Those in relationships were, on average, much happier than single people. The average rating of family life given by adults in the 2011 census was 8.2 out of 10.
However, money worries put a pressure on most households in 2014. Some 62 per cent of couples reported that their bank balance was the biggest strain on their relationship.
Married couples or those in civil partnerships form the largest group of adults in the UK, with 46.5 per cent of those aged over 16 being married.