How Does Your Area Rate for New Dads?

Look up your local authority's wellbeing scores and see how they compare to the England average.

Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Population Survey 2022-23

/ 10
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England Anxiety Map

Hover to preview an area. Click to load its full wellbeing profile.

Low (<2.8)
Below avg
Average
Above avg
High (>3.7)
Lower score = less anxiety

England only. Grey areas have no data. Source: ONS, 2022-23.

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ONS Annual Population Survey 2022-23 - wellbeing scores out of 10

What These Scores Mean for New Dads

The ONS Measures

Every year, the Office for National Statistics surveys thousands of adults across England about four aspects of personal wellbeing:

  • Life satisfaction - overall contentment with life (0-10)
  • Happiness - how happy you felt yesterday (0-10)
  • Worthwhile - how worthwhile daily activities feel (0-10)
  • Anxiety - how anxious you felt yesterday (0-10)

For the first three, higher is better. For anxiety, lower is better. Scores represent the average for all adults surveyed in that local authority area.

Why This Matters When You're Expecting

Your area's baseline wellbeing score gives you a sense of the environment you'll be raising your child in - but it's just that, a baseline.

New parenthood adds its own layer on top:

Research shows new parenthood typically raises anxiety by 0.5-1.0 points in the first year. Happiness may temporarily dip in the early months, but tends to return to your personal baseline by year two as you find your rhythm as a dad.

The scores here cover the whole adult population - not just new parents. But they reflect the community you're part of, the services available nearby, and the economic pressures families in your area face.

Methodology and Data Notes

Data is from the ONS Personal Wellbeing Estimates by Local Authority dataset, Annual Population Survey, 2022-23. Dataset: ONS Personal Wellbeing Estimates.

Only local authority-level geographies are included. Country and region-level aggregates (e.g. England, North West) have been excluded to focus on comparable, local-level data.

England averages used for comparison: Anxiety 3.24, Happiness 7.35, Life Satisfaction 7.25, Worthwhile 7.77. These are the ONS national estimates for 2022-23.

Verdict thresholds: For anxiety (lower=better): green = below 3.14, amber = 3.14-3.34, red = above 3.34. For other measures (higher=better): green = more than 0.10 above England average, amber = within 0.10 of England average, red = more than 0.10 below England average.

This tool is for general information only. Wellbeing scores reflect adult population averages and should not be used as a basis for any medical or clinical decisions.

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