Wokingham has been named as the fourth happiest place to live in Great Britain, and the second best in the south east.
The borough of Richmond upon Thames in London was crowned the happiest place to live in Great Britain, in the Happy at Home Index compiled by property portal Rightmove.
The index, now in its 12th year, asked more than 26,000 residents how they feel about their area.
Winchester in Hampshire came second in the list of happiest areas to live. Monmouth in Wales was third, the first time an area from Wales has made the top three since 2018, and Galashiels is the happiest place to live in Scotland for a second consecutive year.
The Happy at Home Index asked residents how they feel about their area based on 13 happiness factors. It was completed this year by over 26,000 people.
One of the other key trends that emerged from this year’s report was feeling a sense of pride, belonging and community is most likely to contribute to feeling happy to live in an area.
The was deemed more important by many respondents than having access to things like public transport, schools and job opportunities
Another trend to emerge is that those living in rural areas are more likely to be happy where they live than city residents, especially those living near a national park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (recently renamed National Landscapes).
Those who live in a rural environment were more likely to say they were happy where they live than residents of urban or suburban cities and towns.
The analysis showed that having access to nature and green spaces is more important to residents than having access to public transport, shops and restaurants, and employment opportunities.
Around one in three (30%) residents think that they would be happier living in a different area.
This group is most likely to be younger (18-34), currently living in an urban or built-up area, or come from London, the East Midlands or the West Midlands.
When considering where they may be happier living, this group are split between staying in the same region (46%) and moving to a completely new part of Great Britain (54%).
Of those who think they’d be happier living in a different region, the South West is the most popular choice. However, only a third (35%) of those who think they’d be happier living in a different area are planning on moving in the next year.
There are always many individual motivations driving moves, and this year the top reason residents said they were looking to move home was to find an area that makes them happier (37%).
Moving to a bigger home (28%), looking for better value for money (27%), wanting a change of lifestyle (24%) and changes to personal circumstances (21%) also came high on the list of reasons people are looking to move.
Downsizing (11%), reducing energy costs (10%) and taking advantage of remote working to live somewhere new (9%) were other factors for those planning a move.
Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s property expert said: “Searching for new areas outside of the city that are still commutable on office days and looking for cheaper properties that are in need of renovation are just some of the actions we’ve seen determined movers take this year.
“The results of this year’s study highlights that residents continue to value living near green spaces and natural beauty, features that became all the more important during the pandemic.
“With moving to an area that makes them happy a key motivator for people looking for their next home, highlighting these types of features nearby could really help sellers looking to appeal to potential buyers”.
