Post-recession Brits are wealthier but less satisfied

British people have become wealthier, are living longer and healthier lives and are suffering less crime than a few years ago, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In a snapshot of the nation's wellbeing, the ONS said both average household income and disposable income rose between 2012 and 2015, according to The Guardian.

"Net national disposable income per head rose modestly from £22,487 to £22,786 and the proportion finding it difficult to cope financially fell from 11.6 per cent to 9.1 per cent," the paper reports.

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This comes on top of figures last year that showed median UK incomes in the 2014-2015 financial year had passed their pre-crash peak.

Britons are also enjoying longer healthy life expectancy, while incidents of crime per 1,000 adults fell from 82 in 2012 to 57 in 2015. Overall, wellbeing improved in 17 out of 43 categories, with deterioration recorded in just eight.

These were mostly "subjective measures", said the ONS, so while income levels rose, satisfaction with accommodation, household income and leisure time all fell. Similarly, the life expectancy improvements were not enough to prevent satisfaction with general health levels declining.

Less subjectively, the Financial Times notes there has been a disappointing drop in the number of adults participating in sports in the years since the 2012 London Olympics and that while children's wellbeing was stable, there had been an increase in reports of bullying and in mental ill-health.