Sainsbury's Living Well Index reveals drop in how well British households are living 

Sainsbury's Living Well Index reveals drop in how well British households are living 

22 May 2018

The mood of the nation declined over the last six months, as revealed in the latest Sainsbury's Living Well Index, developed by the retailer in partnership with leading researchers Oxford Economics and the National Centre for Social Research.

Landmark study shows winter is bad for our wellbeing, as the nation's overall Index score drops by 0.5 points as we 'hibernate' in colder months. However, national moments like the Royal Wedding and World Cup, which bring people together, will lift our spirits as we spend more time together socially – a powerful driver of what it means to live well, according to the retailer’s bi-annual Index, which aims to define, measure and track what it really means to live well in the UK today. 

There was a drop in our nation’s overall Index score, which fell by 0.5 points in the last six months to an average of 60.7. Much of the drop appears to be linked to seasonal factors: extreme weather and public transport chaos held the nation back from spending time outdoors and meeting up with friends and family, factors which have been found to have a significant association with our wellbeing.

The Index, based on a survey of more than 8,000 people, sheds new light on how we can all live better day to day. Social interactions and relationships are fundamental to our wellbeing – activities such as meeting and speaking to friends and family, or chatting to neighbours, had a clear positive association with our wellbeing. Over half of those with the highest Index scores[1] met up with friends and family several times a week or more, whereas most of those at the bottom of the index[2] did so once a month or less.

The research found that the medium of these social interactions was key: despite the frequency of our digital interactions with friends and family – twice as often as face-to-face, on average [3] – there was no association with these interactions and our wellbeing.

Sitting down and eating with others is one of the four most important factors explaining the ‘living well gap’ – the difference between the Index score of an average Brit and the 100-point maximum – behind sleep quality, sex life satisfaction and feeling like you have enough time. The analysis shows that almost 10% of this ‘living well gap’ can be explained by not regularly sitting down to eat with others. Someone who always eats meals with others [4] scored significantly higher on the Index (7.9 points) than someone who never does [5].

Consistent with national sources, the Index suggests that average household incomes remain broadly unchanged since the first research wave.[6] However, more respondents reported feeling ‘intensely worried’ about money or debt than they were six months ago, up from 17% to 19%. The rise in financial stress particularly affected parents – one in four parents reported feeling ‘intensely worried’ about money or debt compared to one in five six months ago. The survey also found that Millennials are twice as likely as the Baby Boomer generation to worry intensely about money or debt, amid growing financial insecurity for younger generations.

Mike Coupe, Group Chief Executive Officer, Sainsbury’s, said: “As our second Sainsbury’s Living Well Index shows, the rising cost of living is a growing concern for more households, especially young people and families. The good news is that many of the factors affecting how well we’re living are within our control, and making simple changes can make a real difference to how we’re feeling.


“The quality of our relationships and spending time together physically, not digitally, can go a long way towards improving how well we’re living: nothing beats the power of simple human interaction. Instead of adding to our day-to-day pressures with numerous digital interactions, we should make time to get together, eat together and share together.”

Winter reduces our opportunities for face-to-face interactions but as we come into Summer, ‘feel-good’ national moments, like the Royal Wedding and World Cup, offer a chance for families, friends and communities to come together and celebrate. Spending more time interacting and socialising with other people is a powerful driver in living well – the quality of our relationships and community connections together made up over 20% of the nation’s Index score.

Ian Mulheirn, Director of Consulting at Oxford Economics and lead researcher on the project, said: “It stands to reason that we all feel happier in the summer months, but the analysis suggests this is partly because we socialise more and spend more time outside, which we’re less able to do in winter. And in an age of unprecedented digital distraction, it appears that real, human connections are far more beneficial to our wellbeing than the connections we make online.”

On average, those who are ‘living best’ (those in the top 20% of the Index) tended to have better sleep quality, support networks and sex life satisfaction than the average Brit.

The Living Well Index, created by Sainsbury’s in partnership with leading researchers at Oxford Economics and the National Centre for Social Research, is a new barometer of British life tracking UK adults’ wellbeing, based on how they live their day to day lives. It was launched in September 2017 and is updated every six months.

Take part in a simplified version of the Sainsbury’s Living Well Index, get a personal Living Well score and receive simple suggestions on how to close your own living well gap by visiting www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/living-well-index


[1] Those in the top 20% of the Index

[2] Those in the bottom 20% of the Index

[3] Adults are twice as likely to interact ‘once a week or more’ with friends and family they don’t live with via text or instant message, than by meeting up with them in person

[4] Respondents who answered that they ‘never’ sat down alone to eat meals

[5] Respondents who answered that they ‘always’ eat their meals alone

[6] After adjusting for inflation