24 July 2012 Last updated at 09:28 ET

Welsh people top 'most dissatisfied of UK'

Torfaen includes towns such as Pontypool which have suffered from the decline of heavy industry

People living in Wales are the most dissatisfied in the UK, the first national survey of well-being suggests.

And those in the south Wales county of Torfaen were the least satisfied with their lives of anyone in England, Scotland or Wales.

The Office for National Statistics asked people to rate their life satisfaction on a scale of zero to 10.

Overall, the UK average was 24.1%, with Wales at 25.3%, England 24.3%, Scotland 22.6% and Northern Ireland 21.9%.

In Wales, statistics shows people living in rural areas were more satisfied than those based in industrial areas.

In Torfaen, 32.8% of people fell into the low or very low category scoring zero to six, just ahead of North Ayrshire in Scotland and Blaenau Gwent on 31.2%.

Meanwhile, Bath and North East Somerset was judged the most satisfied area of mainland Britain with 14.6%.

Measuring satisfaction

The Office for National Statistics data suggests people who are married, have jobs and own their homes were the most likely to be satisfied.

The survey is in an effort to produce an alternative measure of national performance to Gross Domestic Product.

People living in built-up or former industrial areas, such as south Wales, the West Midlands and London, also tended to be less happy, while rural areas, such as Rutland, Orkney and Shetland, were among the happiest.

In Wales, the most satisfied areas were found to be Ceredigion on 20.3%, Pembrokeshire 20.5% and Monmouthshire 21.1%.

Overall, the UK average was 24.1%, with Wales at 25.3%, England 24.3%, Scotland 22.6% and Northern Ireland 21.9%.

The results for Northern Ireland were not broken down by council area.

In another category, a high proportion of people in Blaenau Gwent, Swansea, Merthyr and Neath Port Talbot reported being anxious.

Residents of Ceredigion and Monmouthshire were said to be the least anxious in Wales.