What’s keeping Wales awake? – Secrets of Living Well revealed in landmark study

* STUDY FINDS QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THOSE IN WALES HELD BACK BY POOR
SLEEP; CONCERNS OVER JOB SECURITY AND CONNECTEDNESS TO LOCAL COMMUNITY
* SAINSBURY’S LIVING WELL INDEX MEASURES THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED
WITH HOW WELL WE ARE LIVING, FROM DEBT TO HEALTH, SOCIAL MEDIA AND
RELATIONSHIPS
* BIG GAPS UNCOVERED BETWEEN THOSE WHO ARE LIVING BEST AND WORST IN
BRITAIN, IN LANDMARK STUDY BY OXFORD ECONOMICS AND THE NATIONAL CENTRE
FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH
* SLEEP QUALITY REVEALED AS THE STRONGEST INDICATOR OF LIVING WELL
* QUALITY OF RELATIONSHIPS – WITH PARTNERS, FRIENDS AND LOCAL
COMMUNITY – SEPARATES THE TYPICAL PERSON FROM THOSE LIVING BEST

The inaugural Sainsbury’s Living Well Index, based on a nationally
representative study into how Britons feel about their quality of
life, reveals the factors associated with living well – and uncovers
significant gaps. Sleep quality has the strongest association with
Britons’ quality of life – for the typical Brit, improving their
sleep to the level of those who are living best would be equivalent to
them having more than four times as much disposable income. In Wales
one-in-three (32 per cent) say they feel well-rested just some of the
time. Only one-in-five (26 per cent) in Wales say they regularly feel
well-rested.

The Index, created by Sainsbury’s in partnership with leading
researchers Oxford Economics and the National Centre for Social
research, aims to define, measure and track what it really means to
live well in the UK today. It has been commissioned to help the
retailer understand and engage on the aspects of everyday life that
are holding people back.

In the first study of its kind, researchers asked a nationally
representative panel of 8,250 people questions covering 60 different
aspects of their behaviour, how they live and how they feel. The Index
covers everything from their support networks and relationships with
friends, families and communities, to how people feel about their
jobs, their quality of sleep and the strength of their finances. The
same panel will be questioned every six months, enabling Sainsbury’s
and researchers to track the effects of how we live on how we feel,
individually and as a nation, as well as providing unique insights
into the lives of Britons today.

The average Briton has a Living Well score of 62.2 out of a maximum
of 100. Those in Wales had a score of 61.3 the study found – below
the typical national score.

Those living best are defined as the 20 per cent of the population
with the highest scores – falling between 72 and 92. By comparing
the lifestyles and behaviours of those living best in Britain with the
typical Briton, the Sainsbury’s Living Well Index has revealed the
critical factors behind living well. 

Income has surprisingly little impact on how we feel. For the typical
Brit, a 50 per cent rise in disposable income contributes to just a
0.5 point increase in their Living Well score. 

In contrast, controlling for age, income, or personal health, a good
night’s sleep has the strongest association with how well we feel we
are living. Over time, the research aims to understand the big gaps
dividing the nation, and whether associations are causal.

Ian Mulheirn, Director of Consulting at Oxford Economics, said:
“_Wellbeing is rising up the agenda at a time of rapid change in how
we live our lives, and we’ve created a critical new tool that can
help us to unpick what’s driving our sense of living well, drawing
on a unique, rolling survey of unprecedented breadth and granularity.
The analysis within the Sainsbury’s Living Well Index reveals that,
in a world that’s never been more connected, the richness of our
relationships and support networks remains among the biggest
determinants of how well we live – and represents an area of our
lives in which we can act.”_

FIVE FACTORS THAT SEPARATE A TYPICAL PERSON FROM THOSE LIVING BEST:

* _A Good Night’s Sleep: _With a typical Briton only feeling rested
after sleep ‘some of the time’, our research has shown that sleep
quality can explain 3.8 points of difference between their Living Well
score and those who are living best in the top 20% of the Index. For
the typical Brit, improving their sleep to the level of someone at the
top of the Index would be equivalent to them having over four times as
much disposable income. 

Sleep was the strongest indicator of a broader sense of wellbeing,
controlling for other factors. Across the country, the majority of
those with the highest Living Well scores reported feeling well rested
most of the time (60 per cent), whilst over half of those in the
bottom 20 per cent of the Index said that they rarely, or never, felt
well rested. In Wales, only 26 per cent of people felt rested most of
the time.

* _Sex Life Satisfaction_: Across the population as a whole, just
over a third (35 per cent) said they were fairly or very satisfied
with their sex lives. Once again, these individuals were
disproportionately likely to be found at the top of the Living Well
Index – with almost two thirds (63 per cent) of those at the top
saying that they were satisfied with their sex life, twice the
national average. In Wales, one-in-three (34 per cent) said they felt
that they had a good quality sex life, the Sainsbury’s Living Well
Report found.

* _Job Security_: For the typical Briton, their perceived level of
job security is another important differentiator to those living best,
suggesting that the peace of mind this can bring contributes
significantly to how well we feel we live. Among working people, 43
per cent of those with the highest Index scores also experience a very
high degree of job security, almost twice the national average. 
Overall, job security explained a 1.8 point gap between the typical
working Brit and those living best. In Wales, 61 per cent said they
were satisfied with their job security compared to the national
average of 63 per cent.

* _Health of Close Relatives_: For the typical person, worries about
the health of close relations emerges as a significant barrier to
living very well The analysis found that worries over the health of
close relations contributes a difference of 1.75 points between the
typical Briton and those living best. In Wales, people said their
quality of life was diminished most by concerns over the health of
their spouse.

* _Community connectedness_: Stronger connections with the people we
share a community with is an important factor for those who experience
the highest quality of life in Britain. The analysis suggests that by
enhancing the quality and strength of these local relationships,
people could live happier, more satisfied lives. The typical person
speaks to their neighbours once or twice a month. But doing so as much
as people in the top 20 per cent of the Living Well Index – among
whom almost 70% speak to neighbours once or twice a week – could add
1.6 points to their Index scores. The majority of those in Wales say
they speak to close neighbours at least once a week, the Living Well
Study found.

Mike Coupe, Sainsbury’s CEO, said: _“Our ambition is to help our
customers to live well. We’ve launched the Sainsbury’s Living Well
Index to help us better understand what ‘living well’ truly means
to people across the UK today. The Index will help to inform how we
run our business and will also help us uncover and engage more boldly
on the issues that concern people most in their everyday lives.”_

To better understand the results and seek guidance on what action can
be taken on the key factors holding Britons back from Living Well,
Sainsbury’s has formed the Living Well Advisory Group. This panel of
experts will help the business understand how it can use its resources
to improve the way in which colleagues, customers and the communities
Sainsbury’s serves live.

In addition, on 27th September 2017, the retailer will convene the
first Living Well Forum, bringing together 60 leading voices on the
mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing of the nation.
Delegates attending the Forum will discuss key issues facing
households today and, supported by Sainsbury’s, will develop ideas
for initiatives that can ultimately improve how well the nation is
living.

To take part in a simplified version of the Sainsbury’s Living Well
Index, get a personal Living Well score and to receive simple
suggestions for actions to improve it, the public can go to
[www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/living-well-index [2]]. The methodology of
the Index is available on the Sainsbury’s website.