A survey of over 4,000 British adults found that most people in the UK report being satisfied with their lives despite financial worries from the recession. People on average rated their life satisfaction as a 7.4 out of 10 and whether things they did in life were worthwhile as a 7.6 out of 10. However, satisfaction with their financial situation received the lowest average rating of 6.2 out of 10. While many Britons are worried about work and money, researchers found that happiness from personal relationships and where they live outweighs these concerns. Politicians are interested in these findings as part of understanding factors beyond just GDP that contribute to national well-being.

1. Britons still happy despite financial woes, survey finds
Level 2 Intermediate
1 Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to
help you.
recession outweighed worthwhile anxious rate
well-being loyalty potential energized worse off
1. If one thing is ____________________ by something else, the other thing is more important, useful or
valuable. (para 1)
2. A ____________________ is a period when trade and industry are not successful and there is a lot of
unemployment. (para 1)
3. If you are ____________________, you have less money than you had before. (para 1)
4. If you ____________________ something in a survey, you give it a score from one to ten. (para 2)
5. If something is ____________________, it is worth the time, money or effort that you spend on it. (para 2)
6. ____________________ is the satisfactory state that someone should be in that involves such things as being
happy, healthy and safe and having enough money. (para 4)
7. If you feel ____________________, you feel worried because you think something bad might happen. (para 4)
8. A person’s ____________________ is the possibility they will develop or achieve something in the future.
(para 7)
9. ____________________ is the support you always give someone because of your feelings of duty and love
towards them. (para 8)
10. If you feel ____________________, you are full of enthusiasm and energy. (para 10)
2 Find the information
Find the following information in the text as quickly as possible.
1. How many people were questioned in the survey?
2. What was the average score for life satisfaction?
3. What was the average score for the question about whether people thought what they did in life was
worthwhile?
4. What was the average score for satisfaction with the financial situation?
5. How many people rated their anxiety level as five out of ten?
6. Which country introduced the idea of ‘gross national happiness’?
D •
TE DE E
SI A L
EB LO B
W N IA
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012
M W P
O DO O
FR BE C
N T
O
NEWS LESSONS / Britons still happy despite financial woes, survey finds / Intermediate
O
H
•P
CA

2. Britons still happy despite financial woes, survey finds
Level 2 Intermediate
Britons still happy despite financial or happy” and then quantify how much happiness
woes, survey finds they can create by spending taxpayers’ money.
They can spend money “on supporting childcare,
Randeep Ramesh
parenting or help for mental health”.
1 December, 2011
6 Layard says it is not worthwhile for politicians to spend
1 According to a survey by the Office for National
too much time on reducing inequalities. “Although I
Statistics (ONS), most people in the UK are satisfied
believe that one pound to a poor person means more
with life. Many are worried about work and money
than one pound to a rich person and more equal
but this is outweighed by happiness they get from
societies are happier, I don’t think redistribution of
their children, their relationships and where they live.
wealth will produce a happier population.”
The ONS released the results of the survey days
after economists predicted that the recession would 7 The science of well-being has become fashionable.
be deep, long and leave the public in 2015 worse off Cameron has mentioned the Himalayan Buddhist
than they were in 2002. But it shows that the country kingdom of Bhutan as introducing the idea of “gross
is unaffected, in an emotional sense, by the crisis national happiness”. France’s President Sarkozy
that is coming. has asked two Nobel prizewinners how to measure
happiness. In fact, ideas about happiness have a
2 The survey of 4,200 adults, conducted between April
long history. It began in Western thought with the
and August 2011, is part of Prime Minister David
Greek philosopher Aristotle. “Aristotle … said there
Cameron’s £2 million campaign to understand how
was more to life than how we feel, more than just
the country is doing – he doesn’t want to focus just
pleasure and pain. It was about how we develop
on GDP. The survey showed that on average people
our potential and work with our communities,” said
rated their life satisfaction at 7.4 out of 10. When
Felicia Huppert from Cambridge University’s centre
asked whether things they did in life were worthwhile,
of well-being.
people on average gave a score of 7.6.
8 Huppert said that “probably the most important work
3 However, there were signs of stress in British society.
recently was by American researcher Jonathan Haidt
Satisfaction with the financial situation had the lowest
who looked at the importance of relationships.” Haidt
average score of 6.2 out of 10, followed by work
identified five values in societies: care, fairness,
situation, with 6.7 out of 10. When asked about their
loyalty, respect and purity – and suggested that the
work-life balance, low scores were also given, with
first two were the most important. Huppert, said: “A
an average of 6.4 out of 10.
lot of young people think that wealth and celebrity will
4 People were most satisfied with their personal make you happy. In fact, the data shows it is about
relationships and mental well-being, which had relationships and … a feeling that you contribute.”
the highest scores – both scored at 8.3 out of 10.
9 Paul Allen from the ONS said another big factor in
However, politicians will be worried about the answer
happiness was health. “We see that when people’s
given to this question: “Overall, how anxious did you
health was bad they would report anxiety. We are
feel yesterday?” More than a quarter rated this 5 out
trying to understand how people rate happiness.”
of 10 – where 10 was feeling “completely anxious”.
10 One of the most interesting aspects of the new
5 Lord Layard, a professor of economics, said it was
science of happiness is about language. Britons
likely that life satisfaction would decrease when
associated happiness with being “calm, relaxed and
the recession gets worse. “We know from other
peaceful” rather than “energized and excited”. Allen
European countries that life satisfaction is sensitive
said this could be seen in recent street protests.
to business cycles and in recessions life satisfaction
“They held up signs saying: ‘We are not happy about
decreases.” Layard said politicians could use the
this.’ It was very British.”
information to reduce the pain of recession. But
they would need to first identify how to measure © Guardian News & Media 2011
happiness, then find what makes people “miserable First published in The Guardian, 01/12/11
D •
TE DE E
SI A L
EB LO B
W N IA
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012
M W P
O DO O
FR BE C
N T
O
NEWS LESSONS / Britons still happy despite financial woes, survey finds / Intermediate
O
H
•P
CA

3. Britons still happy despite financial woes, survey finds
Level 2 Intermediate
3 Comprehension check
Are these statements true (T) or false (F) according to the text?
1. Most people in the UK are unhappy with their lives.
2. The lowest score was given to satisfaction with the financial situation.
3. The highest score was given to personal relationships and mental well-being.
4. Life satisfaction will probably rise as the effects of the recession are felt.
5. Lord Layard believes that redistribution of wealth will produce a happier population.
6. According to Felicity Huppert, many young people think wealth and celebrity make you happy.
4 Find the word
Find the following words and phrases in the text.
1. a noun meaning a series of actions intended to produce political or social change (para 2)
2. an abbreviation meaning the total value of the goods and services that a country produces in a year, not
including income received from money invested in other countries (para 2)
3. a three-word phrase meaning the relationship between the amount of time and effort that someone gives to
work and the amount that they give to other aspects of life, such as their family (para 3)
4. a verb meaning to measure or describe something as a quantity (para 5)
5. a three-word noun phrase meaning changing the way money is shared between people (para 6)
6. a noun meaning treating everyone equally and in a reasonable way (para 8)
7. a noun meaning the state of being famous (para 8)
5 Phrases with prepositions
Complete the phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text.
1. ______________ average 4. satisfied ______________
2. according ______________ 5. sensitive ______________
3. focus ______________ 6. associate ______________
6 Word-building
Complete the table.
adjective noun
1. pure
2. loyal
3. fair
4. anxious
5. satisfied
6. unequal
7 Discussion
Are people in your country happy? Why? Why not?
D •
TE DE E
SI A L
EB LO B
W N IA
M W P
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012
O DO O
FR BE C
N T
O
NEWS LESSONS / Britons still happy despite financial woes, survey finds / Intermediate
O
H
•P
CA

4. Britons still happy despite financial woes, survey finds
Level 2 Intermediate
KEY
1 Key words 4 Find the word
1. outweighed 1. campaign
2. recession 2. GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
3. worse off 3. work-life balance
4. rate 4. quantify
5. worthwhile 5. redistribution of wealth
6. well-being 6. fairness
7. anxious 7. celebrity
8. potential
9. loyalty
10. energized 5 Phrases with prepositions
1. on
2 Find the information 2. to
3. on
1. 4,200 4. with
2. 7.4 out of ten 5. to
3. 7.6 out of ten 6. with
4. 6.2 out of ten
5. more than a quarter
6. Bhutan 6 Word-building
1. purity
3 Comprehension check 2. loyalty
3. fairness
1. F 4. anxiety
2. T 5. satisfaction
3. T 6. inequality
4. F
5. F
6. T
D •
TE DE E
SI A L
EB LO B
W N IA
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012
M W P
O DO O
FR BE C
T O
NEWS LESSONS / Britons still happy despite financial woes, survey finds / Intermediate
O
H
N
•P
CA