New data suggests people in Oldham have greater life satisfaction, fewer anxieties and are the happiest they've been in a decade.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has used the results of a national survey which asked a sample of 320,000 people to rate their level of happiness, anxiety and life satisfaction in the 12 months up to March 2022.
This data, which started being collected in 2011, gives district and borough council areas an average figure of how residents are feeling.
Oldhamers were asked to rate their life satisfaction, happiness and anxiety levels out of 10, and yielded some surprising results.
When it came to life satisfaction, Oldham seems to be clawing back to pre-pandemic levels.
In the year to March 2022, life satisfaction came to an average rating of 7.51 out of 10 - an increase from the 7.35 rating in the year to April 2021.
The ratings haven't quite yet returned to pre-Covid scores where Oldham scored 7.58 out of 10 for life satisfaction consecutively in the years to April 2018 and 2019.
Life satisfaction in the borough was at its lowest in 2011 with a rating of 7.07 out of 10.
Compared to the rest of the country, Oldham fared in the 'high' category for life satisfaction though High Peak, Torridge and Richmonds had the highest scores in the year to March 2022 with 8.34, 8.24 and 8.16 respectively.
Meanwhile, Redditch (7.09), Hertsmere (7.08) and Melton (7.03) have the lowest life satisfaction score.
The data also shows anxiety steadily grew in Oldham during the years 2017 to 2019 before hitting a spike in 2020 - when the country was in lockdown.
In the pandemic, anxiety was at its highest in Oldham with a score of 3.26 out of 10 in the year to April 2020.
However, anxiety has since decreased to an average rating of 3.14 in the past 12 months.
This compares to Dartford (1.7), Surrey Heath (1.91) and Melton (2.13) which had the lowest anxiety scores across the country and Thanet (3.90), Lambeth (3.92) and Norwich (4.04) which had the highest anxiety scores.
Yet when it came to happiness, the figures suggest Oldhamers are the happiest they've been in more than a decade.
In the 12 months to March 2022, Oldham scored an average happiness rating of 7.46 out of 10, which is higher than it was in 2016 (7.40) and 2017 (7.41).
Happiness did decrease during the pandemic, to 7.33 in the year ending April 2020.
But when it came to happiness, Torridge (8.16), Pendle (8.10) and Lichfield (8.10) scored the highest in the year ending March 2022 while Colchester is deemed the unhappiest area with a rating of 6.76, shortly followed by Redditch (6.84) and Norwich (6.88).
Councillor Amanda Chadderton, leader of Oldham Council, said: “It’s great to see that this data reveals Oldhamers are generally happy, despite the ongoing issues with the national cost-of-living crisis."
The councillor said she is "proud" to call Oldham her home town and pointed to its rich history and "exciting future".
“We are right next to the beautiful Pennines, which has amazing views, rolling hills and a wealth of walks and parks for everyone to enjoy.
“Oldham has some top-notch attractions such as Gallery Oldham, Summit Up and Oldham Coliseum – which makes it a place people want to live and visit.
“Our districts are unique as well, with each one offering something different, and we have great transport links with Greater Manchester.
“But for me, what makes Oldham, Oldham, is the people. We are a diverse town, with many cultures and communities."
But, she said, "not everyone will be 'happier than ever'" as she pointed out the data is not representative of the whole borough.
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