Lincoln named ‘most stressed’ city in the UK in new study

• Lincoln is revealed as the most stressed out city in the UK, with the worst combination of high levels of happiness and satisfaction and low levels of anxiety
• Glasgow named the eighth most stressed out city in the UK
• Chichester, Newry and Lisburn rank as the most chilled out cities in the UK

New research reveals that Lincoln is the most stressed out city in the UK.

The study conducted by botanical experts Cannabotech used ONS well-being data to analyse levels of happiness, life satisfaction, anxiety and worthwhile in every city in the United Kingdom to establish which city is the most stressed out and the most chilled out.

The city of Lincoln is revealed as the most stressed out city in the UK, having the lowest average ranking across all four factors analysed. Lincoln ranks lowest for feelings of happiness and worthwhile and is the third most anxious city in the UK. Lincoln has a chilled out score of 201, the worst of any city in the UK.

Bristol is the second most stressed out city in the UK with a chilled out index score of 208. Bristol reported low levels of happiness with the city having the fourth lowest rate of happiness as well as being the second most anxious city in the UK.

The third most stressed out city in the UK is Brighton, with a chilled out index score of 202 – the third highest.This high score comes as a result of the city ranking as the most anxious city in the UK according to the ONS data. Furthermore, Brighton also ranks as the city with the fourth lowest levels of worthwhile in the UK, contributing to its status as the third most stressed out city in the UK.

Nottingham is revealed as the fourth most stressed out city in the UK. Nottingham is the city with the third lowest levels of feelings of worthwhile and sixth lowest when it comes to life satisfaction. The fifth most stressed out city in the UK is Belfast with a chilled out index score of 196. Belfast reports as the fifth lowest city when it comes to feelings of happiness as well as the fifth lowest when it comes to feelings of worthwhile.

The Welsh capital of Cardiff ranks as the sixth most stressed out city in the UK. When broken down, this comes as a result of residents in Cardiff reporting the ninth highest levels of unhappiness across any city in the UK alongside being the eighth most anxious city.

Norwich and Glasgow rank as the seventh and eighth most stressed out cities in the UK respectively. Norwich has a chilled out index score of 189, the seventh worst of any city in the UK. Norwich is the third most unhappy city in the UK and residents report the sixth lowest levels of feelings of worthwhile, leading to Norwich being the seventh most stressed out city overall.

Meanwhile, Glasgow has a chilled out index score of 187 – the eighth worst in the UK. Glasgow has the fourth lowest level of life satisfaction and eighth lowest levels of feelings of worthwhile. Glasgow is also the seventeenth most anxious city in the UK out of all 57 cities analysed, contributing to its status as the eighth most stressed out city in the UK.

Coventry and Exeter round off the top ten most stressed out cities in the UK. Coventry, the ninth most stressed out city, has a chilled out index score of 185, stemming from factors such as having the fifth worst reports of life satisfaction and reporting as the eighth lowest levels of unhappiness. 

Exeter is the tenth most stressed out city in the UK. When broken down, this comes as a result of Exeter having the second lowest level of life satisfaction of all 57 cities analysed as well as being the sixth most anxious city.

Commenting on the study, a spokesperson from Cannabotech said: “The current climate of the UK is undoubtedly a stressful one, so it is vital to prioritise relaxation where we can. These findings offer a fascinating insight into which cities in the UK have higher levels of well-being and relaxation and serves as a useful guide to anyone seeking a more relaxed lifestyle.”

The most stressed out city in the UK
City	Rank	Chilled out index score
Lincoln	1	210
Bristol	2	208
Brighton	3	202
Nottingham	4	201
Belfast	5	196
Cardiff	6	190
Norwich	7	189
Glasgow	8	187
Coventry	9	185
Exeter	10	175

On the other hand, Chichester was named the most chilled out city in the UK with a chilled out index score of eight. This comes as a result of Chichester surveying as the city with the highest ranking of life satisfaction and happiness as well as second highest ranking when it comes to feeling worthwhile. Chichester also ranks as the fourth least anxious city in the UK, contributing to its status as the most chilled out city in the UK.

The city of Newry in Northern Ireland ranks as the second most chilled out city in the UK. Newry ranks highest for feelings of worthwhile, and third for both life satisfaction and happiness, giving the city a chilled out index score of 16 – the second highest in the UK. 

Lisburn, also based in Northern Ireland, is the fourth most chilled out city in the UK. Lisburn ranks second highest when it comes to feelings of happiness across the city, just behind Chichester and has an overall chilled out score of 20.

The fourth most chilled out city in the UK is Preston. Preston ranks as the least anxious city in the UK as well as the the city that ranked third in terms of feeling worthwhile, according to the ONS data. Overall, the Lancashire city has a chilled out index score of 21, only slightly lower than Lisburn.

Carlisle ranks as the fifth most chilled out city with a chilled out index score of 29. Carlisle ranks well with residents reporting high levels of life satisfaction, worthwhile and happiness as well as the city being the second least anxious city in the UK.

The most chilled out city in the UK
City	Rank	Chilled out index score
Chichester	1	8
Newry	2	16
Lisburn	3	20
Preston	4	21
Carlisle	5	29
Perth	6	33
Lichfield	7	34
Winchester	8	38
Cambridge	9	45
Derby	10	56