Despite the ever-present shadow of the credit crunch and its very real effects on home and business life, 69% of the public are optimistic about their financial situation, affirming that ‘it will get better'.

 When asked 'How do you feel about life in general?' a cheery 21% of the public claimed to be very happy, 32% claimed to be happy, with only 18% of people stating their unhappiness, with the remaining fence-sitting 29% stating that they were 'neither happy nor unhappy'.

The majority of the public, 39%, were most happy when with family. 32% said they were happiest when with friends, and interestingly, and perhaps thankfully, only 8% of people stated they were most happy when spending money. 4% said they were happiest when 'doing nothing'.

The research also gives an indication of the top 10 happiest places in the UK:

1. Bournemouth
2. Wokingham
3. South Cambridgeshire
4. Brighton
5. Bath
6. Chester
7. Cheltenham
8. Edinburgh
9. Oxford
10. York

Joseph Clough says: ‘Despite the worsening economic situation, British people are smiling. I think this research does a lot to prove that Brits aren't as miserable as we are perhaps portrayed. Positivity is a matter of believing that things will get better, and then working towards that. Celebrities like Sir Alan Sugar, Duncan Bannatyne and Delia Smith are all examples of British people who thought positively and worked happily towards self-imposed goals despite not having the greatest start in life.'