Happiness is the simple things in life - it's official

HAPPINESS is a doll in a pushchair, a Big Mac and large fries and a loving circle of friends and family. The Office of National Statistics has identified a range of factors to assist in the complex calculation of national well-being.

The results of a five-month national debate, "What matters to you?" found that the British public believe their well-being should be measured in terms of health, friends and family and job satisfaction.

The research, which involved a survey of 34,000 people, will be used to help statisticians create the UK's first set of national well-being indicators. The new set of questions will allow the government to measure Britons' subjective quality of life and the figures will be published at regular intervals, perhaps alongside figures on gross domestic product (GDP).

As part of the research, which involved 175 public events involving 7,250 people, as well as an online questionnaire, the ONS discovered that happiness changed as people age. Children said what made them happy was eating breakfast, computer games, dolls and pushchairs, Christmas and birthdays.

For young adults the formula for contentment involved make-up, stylish clothes, music, fast food and alcohol. Older adults put more emphasis on jobs, health and financial security.

The research brought up a number of surprises while the researchers expected people to discuss the environment, the most common desire was not just to halt global warming but personal easy access to a green space. The importance of religion, particularly Christianity was another factor raised.

The ONS is now planning to publish Britain's first national well-being indicators in the autumn, followed by annual life satisfaction ratings in July 2012.

Prime Minister David Cameron ordered the research after deciding that the government needed to be informed not only of Britain's economic progress but also on the public's quality of life.

The ONS received 34,000 submissions as it looked into whether the public thought measuring well-being was a worthwhile exercise.

National statistician Jill Matheson said: "The response to the debate was huge and thoughtful. The UK public were definitely keen to tell us what is important to them and I am pleased that we have been able to give so many people a place to discuss what national well-being means on both a personal and national level.

"People of all ages highlighted the importance of family, friends, health, financial security, equality and fairness in determining well-being."

She added: "The UK is not alone in wanting to develop better measures of national well-being. We are working with international partners in developing measures of well-being that will paint a fuller picture of our societies."The ONS is now drawing up its first life satisfaction index by asking 200,000 people to rate, on a scale of zero to ten, satisfaction, happiness and anxiety and the results will be out next July.