The folk of Craven are the 'happiest' in the country

The district of Craven in North Yorkshire has scored the highest ratings for happiness and life satisfaction in the UK, according to a new survey.

Craven – which includes the towns of Skipton and Grassington and the edges of the Forest of Bowland – reported the highest level of happiness. It was also the area with the highest level of life satisfaction and the lowest level of anxiety among residents.

People living in the rural district rated their level of happiness as 8.3 out of 10 - well above the national average of 7.5. For life satisfaction they rated 8.5, compared with a UK average of 7.7.

Craven also recorded the lowest level of anxiety. Residents were asked the question "Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?, where 0 is "not at all anxious" and 10 is "completely anxious". The average rating was 2.1 out of 10, compared with a national average of 2.9.

The survey was compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) between April 2016 and March this year. It shows an increase in the UK-wide average for happiness and life satisfaction, compared with the previous year.