Islanders reported lower levels of life satisfaction, feeling worthwhile and happiness than adults in the UK, according to new data – which also showed that almost a quarter of islanders cannot afford enough heating to keep their homes warm.

The Jersey Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, published today by Statistics Jersey, found that UK residents scored consistently higher across the wellbeing measures used by the Office for National Statistics.

The differences were most pronounced among women.

UK women reported 10% higher life satisfaction, 11% higher scores for feeling worthwhile and 7% higher happiness than women in Jersey, compared with smaller differences among men (6%, 4% and 1% respectively)

Anxiety levels were also lower in the UK – 6% lower for men and 15% lower for women than in Jersey. It comes after Express previously revealed that prescriptions for anxiety and insomnia are issued twice as often in Jersey as in England.

Adults in Jersey who said they found it “very difficult” to cope financially recorded some of the lowest wellbeing scores, averaging 4.7 for life satisfaction, 5.3 for feeling worthwhile and 5.0 for happiness, while their average anxiety score rose to 5.2.

In contrast, those who found it very easy to cope financially recorded significantly higher scores – 8.2 for both life satisfaction and feeling worthwhile, 8.0 for happiness, and a much lower anxiety score of 2.7.

Average scores for life satisfaction, feeling worthwhile and happiness dipped in midlife, with adults aged 45 to 54 reporting the lowest levels.

Anxiety, however, was highest among islanders aged 16 to 34.

A time-poverty index – based on how adults rated the amount of time they spend with family, in social contact, and on hobbies or interests – found that 26% of adults were “very time poor”.

The proportion was higher among those who struggled financially, those with children, and adults aged 35 to 44.

A total of 30% of households said they found it difficult to cope financially – down
down from 35% in 2024.

The data showed that 69% of single-parent households reported struggling to make ends meet, as did more than half of households living in non-qualified or social rental housing.

Two-fifths (41%) of households went without at least one item in the past 12 months due to lack of money – higher than in 2017 (34%).

The number of households that went without a cooked main meal each day was 15%, with 16% going without fresh fruit or vegetables, and 19% being unable to afford meat, chicken or fish every second day.

The proportion of households that said they could not afford enough heating to keep their home warm rose from 11% in 2017 to 23% this year – with 13% reporting they could not afford a car.

A week’s holiday away from home also remained unaffordable for many, with 36% of households saying they were unable to afford one.

Items that households went without included a colour television (5%), a telephone (5%), a washing machine (6%) and an internet connection for personal use (7%).

The survey data comes after campaign group Value Jersey staged a protest during yesterday’s Budget debate by stacking 200 cans of baked beans outside the States Assembly to highlight what it described as the financial pressures facing “ordinary islanders”.