15 July, 2015

By VIVA Team

Cheer, here: Spaniards are, on the whole, happy with their lives in Spain.

Despite enduring a recent double-dip recession and high unemployment, the majority of Spaniards are “very happy” with their lives, according to a recent poll.

A survey in June by the Center for Sociology Studies (CIS) confirmed what many millions who visit the country every year already knew – life in Spain, despite certain setbacks, cannot fail to make you smile…

From the poll, 84 per cent of Spaniards consider themselves to be happy, with 51% responding that they are almost “absolutely content with their lives”.

Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with life on a scale from zero (perfectly miserable) to 10 (complete bliss). The poll found that the most commonly recurring answer was 8 – a score that suggests near-complete contentment with life.

Whether it is the world’s finest climate, the healthiest diet, or the happiest language that did it, no one can be 100 per cent sure. But the poll also found that whatever’s in the water appears to be working: happiness levels are actually on the rise. The same poll was conducted in January this year and found that just 78.8 per cent of respondents gave an answer between 6 and 10.

Most Spaniards do, however, harbour the odd concern about life in Spain, chiefly relating to employment and the wider economy. Around one-third of Spaniards felt that the political situation needs improving, and more than half stressed that unemployment remains “a big problem” in many parts of the country.

The perception that the economy is improving is at least growing, with fewer Spaniards as downbeat on the country’s financial future as before – reflecting the opinions of analysts, economists and politicians that are confident that Spain’s economy is now firmly back on track.