The 2017 Cigna 360° Well-being Survey has ranked Britain in 8th place in terms of well-being – a fall from 3rd place in 2015 – and the country now lags behind India and China.
The research from Cigna International Markets involved more than 14,000 people being surveyed globally, including over 1,000 in the UK.
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The research looked at five main components of people’s sense of well-being: their physical health, their family lives, their social lives, their finances and their work.
On each of these criteria, people in the UK said their position had declined during 2016. Family life suffered the biggest fall, with more than half of Britons surveyed saying they felt they didn’t spend enough time with their family.
In terms of well-being, Cigna’s annual survey said Britain now ranks behind India, Thailand, China, Spain, UAE, Indonesia and New Zealand in the global rankings.
The increasing pressures of working life were also highlighted, with many people feeling their workplace health schemes should do more to contribute to their overall well-being.
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By GlobalDataOver half (54%) of respondents said their company did not value their work-life balance, and only a third (32%) felt their workplace wellness programme matched their needs.
Furthermore, half (50%) of those surveyed said that the current economic environment is having a negative impact on their financial situation.
The UK scored poorly on every single financial measure including current finances, provision for retirement, meeting medical needs and maintaining standard of living.
Commenting on the findings, Peter Mills, medical director at Cigna Global Health Benefits, said that he was not surprised.
Mills said: “Today, people are faced with an uncertain political and economic environment, and concerns about the future are inevitably taking a toll on their well-being. People feel that they are not spending enough time with their families, and they’re also worried about the future – for their children, for themselves and for their parents.
“Britain’s fall in the global rankings is not only a concern for families, but for businesses as well.
It is a clear early warning sign that employers need to start thinking more deeply about how to better support employees’ work-life balance. With half our waking hours spent at work, it will require a combined work-life solution in order to improve the nation’s overall well-being.”
| 2017 Ranking | Country |
| 1 | India |
| 2 | Thailand |
| 3 | China |
| 4 | Spain |
| 5 | UAE |
| 6 | Indonesia |
| 7 | New Zealand |
| 8 | UK |
| 9 | Turkey |
| 10 | Singapore |
| 11 | Hong Kong |
| 12 | Taiwan |
| 13 | South Korea |
Source for table above: Cigna 2017 360° Well-being Survey
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 UK.
Over 1,000 male and female adults, aged 25 and above, were polled in 11 of th
