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UK Nationals: Well-Being Drops Sharply – Cigna Survey

The 2017 Cigna 360o Well-being Survey of Globally Mobile Individuals [1], released in July 2017, shows that Britons’ sense of personal well-being has seen a sharp decline over the past three years, as financial pressures mount and put strains on family health. The U.K. has fallen from third to eighth place of the 13 countries in the study, and now lags behind India and China.

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Source: Cigna

Researchers looked at five main components that indicate well-being:

In each of these criteria Britons indicated that their positions had declined during 2016, with family life suffering the most. Respondents indicated increased pressures of working life, with many people feeling their workplace health schemes should do more to contribute to their overall well-being.

54% of those respondents said their company did not value their work/life balance, and only a third (32%) felt that their workplace wellness program matched their needs.

Half of those surveyed said that the current economic environment is having a negative impact on their financial situations, while many Britons fall into the “age trap,” with just one in five people being financially prepared for retirement. Respondents also indicated that they fear most for their children’s future and their parent’s old age.

Only 20% of Britons believe they would be financially secure if they were unable to work, with those aged 18 to 24 indicating the most concern in this area.

All family health indicators have declined sharply since 2015, with people in the U.K. feeling worse about every aspect of family life this year. The biggest falls in well-being were seen in people’s perceptions of their ability to look after their children’s financial needs; only one third (38%) of respondents feel that they can take good care of these needs.

In addition, parents are feeling the increasing strain of modern life, with more than half (53%) worried that they are not spending enough time with their families. Long-term care for elderly parents is also a major concern, with only one in four (26%) saying they felt they would be able to take care of their parents’ financial needs, and less than two in five (38%) saying they could take care of their parents’ health and well-being.

The research took place in December 2016 in 13 markets and polled over 14,000 adults, using a quantitative, 20-minute online format. Countries polled were China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the U.K.. Over 1,000 male and female adults, aged 25 and above, were polled in 11 of the markets; and over 1,500 in India and China.