Happiness most important achievement

More people in Scotland see achieving happiness as the most important thing in their lives than anywhere else in the UK, a report has revealed.

Meanwhile, Scots were most likely to say they have achieved what they wanted to, with 51 per cent saying they had done so. A total of 72 per cent of people in Scotland cited happiness as the most important achievement in life.

The study from the Martin Roberts Foundation, founded by the TV presenter to help children and young people, found that having good physical health, and having lots of supportive friends and family, were considered the most important achievements over being a millionaire and having frequent holidays.

While 6 per cent of people UK-wide said becoming a millionaire would be a major life achievement, just 2 per cent of Scots believed the same. However, being debt-free was less of a priority for Scots than people elsewhere in the country, with 24 per cent of people UK-wide citing it as important, against 19 per cent of Scots.

However, more Scots prioritised regular holidays as a life achievement, and more said making an impact on society was important to them, at 34 per cent compared to the UK figure of 27 per cent.

Martin Roberts, founder of the charity, which supports educational and well-being initiatives for children and young people, said: “Today’s research offers really useful insight into what the UK public are looking to get out of life.

“It also shows that the majority of people are not content with our life achievements. And it is not just about how much money they are making, but about whether they feel happy, helpful and successful in their individual goals.”

He added: “Ultimately, it’s important that everyone has targets they strive for in their own life, whether that’s regarding their career, family or health.”

The majority of people surveyed – 60 per cent – said they believe money cannot buy you happiness, while 83 per cent think society is too concerned with material wealth when assessing someone’s achievements.

Having a luxury car, getting a “six pack” toned stomach and having lots of social media followers ranked low on most people’s list of achievements in every region of the UK, with just 1 per cent of people listing each as important.

Almost a quarter of Scots said that owning their own home was a top achievement during a lifetime, while having a great job with benefits was a priority for 8 per cent of people living north of the Border.

The survey was commissioned by the Martin Roberts foundation in partnership with Achieve, a two-day event to take place later this month, which features prominent celebrities delivering talks on health, wealth and happiness.

According to a report from the Office for National Statistics earlier this year, people in Scotland were rated the happiest UK nation, boosted by employment status, self-reported health and relationship status. There were no changes in reported happiness from England, Wales or Northern Ireland.