Well-being: anxiety yesterday

Published

This page has been archived.
It has been replaced by Well-being.

There is a new version of this page. View the latest version.

1. Main facts and figures

  • in 2016, people from the Arab ethnic group had a higher score than the UK average for anxiety

  • where 0 is ‘not at all anxious’, and 10 is ‘completely anxious’, average responses for each group ranged from 2.72 out of 10 for the Chinese group, to 3.47 out of 10 for the Arab group

  • There were decreasing levels of anxiety for all ethnic groups apart from the Bangladeshi, Chinese, Pakistani, Other Asian, and Mixed ethnic groups between 2012 and 2016

  • in 2016, the Chinese ethnic group had a lower percentage of people than the UK average saying they had high levels of anxiety (15.1%)

  • the Pakistani and Mixed ethnic groups had lower percentages of people than the UK average saying they had very low levels of anxiety (36.7% and 35.0%)

Things you need to know

This analysis is based on the Annual Population Survey (APS). The APS is a ‘sample survey’. It collects information from a random sample of the population to make generalisations (reach 'findings') about the total population.

The commentary for this data only includes reliable, or ‘statistically significant’, findings.

Findings are statistically significant when we can be confident that they can be repeated, and are reflective of the total population rather than just the survey sample.

Findings are statistically significant when we can be confident that they can be repeated, and are reflective of the total population rather than just the survey sample.

Differences are statistically significant if the results for the 2 groups or time periods being compared are within entirely different ranges.

Variance

Respondents answered the question ‘Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?’ on a scale of 0 to 10. Where the average result for an ethnic group is based on a small range of answers (for example, respondents scored between 6 and 8 out of 10) we can be fairly confident about that survey estimate.

However, when the average result is based on a wide variation in answers (for example, respondents scored between 4 and 9 out of 10) we can be much less certain of the reliability of the survey estimate.

Where no commentary has been supplied for trends or differences apparently visible in the charts and tables, it’s because this wide variation (known as ‘variance’) makes them unreliable.

Comparisons have been based on unrounded data. Personal well-being questions can only be answered in person (not on behalf of the respondent).

What the data measures

The data measures people’s recent experience of anxiety.

The information comes from the Office for National Statistics (ONS’s) Annual Population Survey. Since 2011, this survey has asked people aged 16 and over questions about their personal well-being.

This data presents the results from the question:

  • overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?

People were asked to respond on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is ‘not at all’, and 10 is ‘completely’.

The data compares the average (mean) overall anxiety levels of ethnic groups. It also looks at ‘thresholds’ of anxiety within ethnic groups, measuring the percentage of people in each group who experienced:

  • very low anxiety (scoring 0 to 1)
  • low anxiety (scoring 2 to 3)
  • medium anxiety (scoring 4 to 5)
  • high anxiety (scoring 6 to 10)

There are 3 other well-being questions asked as part of the survey:

  • overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?
  • overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?
  • overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?

The results for these questions are available in the Health section (Physical and mental health).

The ethnic categories used in this data

In England, the Annual Population Survey (APS) uses the 18 specific ethnic group categories of the Office of National Statistics 2011 Census. However, the censuses in Scotland and Northern Ireland use different, broader categorisations. The ethnic categories listed here are therefore the greatest detail available for APS data at UK level.

  • White
  • Gypsy / Traveller / Irish Traveller
  • Mixed
  • Indian
  • Pakistani
  • Bangladeshi
  • Chinese
  • Asian other
  • Black
  • Arab
  • Other

There are some differences in the ethnic categories the Annual Population Survey uses in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Data has been harmonised for this analysis using the list above, in line with ONS Census guidance (PDF opens in a new window or tab)

2. Anxiety yesterday by ethnicity

Location:
United Kingdom
Time period:
2016
Source:
Personal well-being in the UK: July 2017 to June 2018
Average anxiety score by ethnicity
Ethnicity Average score
All 2.89
Bangladeshi 2.97
Chinese 2.72
Indian 2.91
Pakistani 2.99
Asian other 2.92
Black 2.88
Mixed 3.14
White 2.88
Other 2.93
Arab 3.47
Gypsy / Traveller / Irish Traveller withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Data withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Download table data for ‘Anxiety yesterday by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Anxiety yesterday by ethnicity’ (CSV)

Summary of Well-being: anxiety yesterday Anxiety yesterday by ethnicity Summary

This data shows that:

  • in 2016, the UK average score for anxiety was 2.89 out of 10, where 0 is ‘not at all anxious’, and 10 is ‘completely anxious’

  • average anxiety scores were higher than the UK average for people from the Arab ethnic group, with an average score for this group of 3.47

  • the other ethnic groups reported broadly average scores for anxiety

3. Anxiety by ethnicity over time

Location:
United Kingdom
Time period:
2012 to 2016
Source:
Personal well-being in the UK: July 2017 to June 2018
Average anxiety score by ethnicity over time
Ethnicity 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
All 3.03 2.95 2.89 2.85 2.89
Bangladeshi 3.22 2.92 2.74 3.04 2.97
Chinese 3.04 2.87 3.00 2.73 2.72
Indian 3.21 3.07 2.93 2.97 2.91
Pakistani 3.27 3.14 3.07 2.81 2.99
Asian other 3.19 3.28 2.92 2.98 2.92
Black 3.18 3.14 2.94 2.78 2.88
Mixed 3.48 2.86 3.22 3.29 3.14
White 3.01 2.93 2.87 2.84 2.88
Other 3.45 3.28 3.00 2.86 2.93
Arab 3.26 3.57 3.24 3.55 3.47
Gypsy / Traveller / Irish Traveller withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Data withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Download table data for ‘Anxiety by ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Anxiety by ethnicity over time’ (CSV)

Summary of Well-being: anxiety yesterday Anxiety by ethnicity over time Summary

This data shows that:

  • between 2012 and 2016, the Black, Indian, White and Other ethnic groups experienced decreasing levels of anxiety; it’s not possible to draw firm conclusions about the differences in anxiety scores for the other ethnic groups because of the wide variation in responses for these groups

  • between 2012 and 2016, the UK average score for anxiety decreased from 3.03 to 2.89 out of 10

  • the White group experienced the smallest decrease in anxiety: on average, they scored 3.01 out of 10 in 2012 and 2.88 out of 10 in 2016, a decrease of 0.13

4. Anxiety thresholds by ethnicity

Location:
United Kingdom
Time period:
2016
Source:
Personal well-being in the UK: July 2017 to June 2018
Percentage of adults in each anxiety threshold by ethnicity
Ethnicity Very Low (0-1) Low (2-3) Medium (4-5) High (6-10)
All 40.3 23.4 16.6 19.7
Bangladeshi 39.4 20.6 21.9 18.1
Chinese 38.3 27.8 18.4 15.5
Indian 38.9 24.1 18.4 18.9
Pakistani 36.7 24.1 18.2 17.8
Asian other 39.2 23.3 21.5 17.5
Black 40.8 23.0 20.0 19.3
Mixed other 35.0 24.2 17.0 22.0
White 40.5 23.4 18.8 19.8
Other 39.1 23.7 16.3 19.3
Arab 33.8 20.6 17.9 24.7
Gypsy / Traveller / Irish Traveller withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 21.0 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Data withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Download table data for ‘Anxiety thresholds by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Anxiety thresholds by ethnicity’ (CSV)

Summary of Well-being: anxiety yesterday Anxiety thresholds by ethnicity Summary

Where 0 is ‘not at all anxious’, and 10 is ‘completely anxious’, ‘thresholds’ of anxiety within ethnic groups measure the percentage of people in each group experiencing:

  • very low anxiety (scoring 0 to 1)
  • low anxiety (scoring 2 to 3)
  • medium anxiety (scoring 4 to 5)
  • high anxiety (scoring 6 to 10)

This data shows that:

  • in the UK, on average, 40.3% of people said they experienced ‘very low anxiety’, 23.4% experienced ‘low anxiety’, 16.6% experienced ‘medium anxiety’ and 19.7% experienced ‘high anxiety’

  • in 2016, the Chinese ethnic group had a lower percentage of people than the UK average saying they had ‘high levels’ of anxiety (15.1%)

  • the Pakistani and Mixed ethnic groups had lower percentages of people than the UK average saying they had ‘very low’ levels of anxiety (36.7% and 35.0%)

5. ‘Very low’ levels of anxiety, by ethnicity over time

Location:
United Kingdom
Time period:
2012 to 2016
Source:
Personal well-being in the UK: July 2017 to June 2018
Percentage of adults in the ‘very low’ anxiety threshold, by ethnicity over time
Ethnicity 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
All 38.1 39.2 40.5 41.0 40.3
Bangladeshi 35.2 40.2 42.6 39.1 39.4
Chinese 32.9 32.7 35.0 38.8 38.3
Indian 34.3 34.8 37.8 38.2 38.9
Pakistani 36.1 38.6 39.0 41.4 36.7
Asian other 34.9 35.3 39.4 37.5 39.2
Black 35.4 38.1 41.0 42.0 40.8
Mixed other 32.2 42.1 34.2 32.3 35.0
White 38.5 39.5 40.7 41.2 40.5
Other 30.2 33.6 37.6 39.2 39.1
Arab 34.7 28.5 30.3 30.5 33.8
Gypsy / Traveller / Irish Traveller withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Data withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Download table data for ‘‘Very low’ levels of anxiety, by ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘‘Very low’ levels of anxiety, by ethnicity over time’ (CSV)

Summary of Well-being: anxiety yesterday ‘Very low’ levels of anxiety, by ethnicity over time Summary

This data shows that:

  • between 2012 and 2016, the percentage of people reporting ‘very low’ anxiety increased by more than 2 percentage points overall, from 38.1% in 2012 to 40.3% in 2016

  • in the same period, the percentage of people reporting ‘very low’ anxiety increased for White people (from 38.5% in 2012 to 40.5% in 2016), Black people (from 35.4% to 40.8%) and people from the Other ethnic group (from 30.2% to 39.1%)

  • although the chart shows variation in the percentage of adults in other ethnic groups who scored very low for this threshold, there were no meaningful differences, because of the wide variation in responses for these groups

6. Anxiety by ethnicity and socio-economic group

Location:
United Kingdom
Time period:
2013 to 2015 combined
Source:
Personal well-being in the UK: July 2017 to June 2018
Average anxiety score by ethnicity and socio-economic group
Ethnicity Higher managerial and professional Lower managerial and professional Intermediate occupations Small employers and own account workers Lower supervisory and technical Semi-routine occupations Routine occupations Never worked, unemployed, and nec
All 2.81 2.86 2.83 2.76 2.74 2.82 2.77 3.04
Bangladeshi 3.11 3.35 2.73 2.55 2.94 2.84 2.11 2.91
Chinese 3.25 3.13 3.11 2.63 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 2.48 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 2.69
Indian 2.91 2.94 2.83 2.82 2.99 3.14 2.80 2.88
Pakistani 2.36 2.69 2.56 3.31 3.01 3.09 2.88 3.13
Asian other 3.04 3.08 2.67 3.37 2.87 2.85 2.87 3.19
Black 2.98 2.80 2.88 2.91 2.94 3.06 2.96 2.88
Mixed 3.02 3.32 3.15 3.10 2.73 2.60 2.88 3.59
White 2.78 2.85 2.83 2.73 2.72 2.81 2.76 3.04
Other 3.44 2.97 3.00 3.25 2.75 2.33 2.76 3.27
Arab 3.34 4.19 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 2.48 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 3.44
Gypsy / Traveller / Irish Traveller withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Data withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Download table data for ‘Anxiety by ethnicity and socio-economic group ’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Anxiety by ethnicity and socio-economic group ’ (CSV)

Summary of Well-being: anxiety yesterday Anxiety by ethnicity and socio-economic group Summary

This data shows that:

  • there were no meaningful differences between ethnic groups in the anxiety experienced by people in different socio-economic groups

  • although the table shows differences between groups for anxiety, sample sizes were too small to draw reliable conclusions about these results

7. Anxiety by ethnicity and sex

Location:
United Kingdom
Time period:
2013 to 2015 combined
Source:
Personal well-being in the UK: July 2017 to June 2018
Average anxiety score by ethnicity and sex
Ethnicity Female Male
All 3.02 2.73
Bangladeshi 2.94 2.84
Chinese 2.80 2.86
Indian 3.04 2.83
Pakistani 3.08 2.85
Asian other 3.07 3.02
Black 2.91 2.90
Mixed 3.40 2.98
White 3.02 2.71
Other 3.10 2.99
Arab 3.47 3.36
Gypsy / Traveller / Irish Traveller withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Data withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Download table data for ‘Anxiety by ethnicity and sex’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Anxiety by ethnicity and sex’ (CSV)

Summary of Well-being: anxiety yesterday Anxiety by ethnicity and sex Summary

This data shows that:

  • in 2016, White women were significantly more likely to have a higher anxiety score than White men, at 3.02 and 2.71 respectively (out of 10)

  • there were no meaningful differences in anxiety scores between men and women in other ethnic groups, because of the wide variation in responses for these groups

8. Methodology

This data presents the results from the question, ‘Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?’

People were asked to respond on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is ‘not at all’, and 10 is ‘completely’. Estimates were produced as mean ratings, as well as thresholds.

Personal well-being questions are asked to adults age 16 and over, living in private households. Personal well-being questions can only be answered in person (they cannot be answered by proxy).

The Annual Population Survey (APS) is a continuous household survey. Most people are interviewed face to face at first contact, and by telephone at subsequent contacts. The sample is formed partly from waves 1 and 5 of the Labour Force Survey (in which selected addresses are contacted every 3 months) and partly from boost cases, which are in the sample for 4 waves, spread one year apart.

The sampling frame is mainly the Royal Mail Postcode Address File (PAF). The NHS communal accommodation list is also used and (in the case of remote parts of Scotland) telephone directories. All eligible individuals found at the selected address may be interviewed. The complex survey design has been taken into account when calculating confidence intervals.

The achieved sample of approximately 158,000 respondents undergoes weighting, which is structured at local authority level and uses age and sex dimensions. The Office for National Statistics population estimates and projections are used as the basis for this weighting process.

Results derived from a low number of survey responses are more likely to be affected by statistical variation, so observed differences may not reflect actual difference. As such, caution is needed when interpreting short-term trends in the data, especially for sub groups (for example, a particular ethnic group).

Smaller numbers of survey respondents from ethnic minority backgrounds and smaller geographic regions mean that these estimates are less reliable than estimates for White people and larger regions.

Measuring well-being requires a number of different approaches to capture a range of factors which contribute to an individual's overall sense of well-being. The APS uses a number of specific approaches, including the evaluative, eudemonic, experience and individual well-being approaches.

This measure involves the ‘experience approach’, which seeks to measure people’s positive and negative experiences (or affect) over a short timeframe to capture their subjective well-being on a day-to-day basis. The question “Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?” is a negative affect question, in contrast to the positive affect question “Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?”.

Thresholds are used in the report to present dispersion in the data. These show the proportion of responses that fall into 4 groups on a scale of 0 to 10:

  • very low anxiety (scoring 0 to 1)
  • low anxiety (scoring 2 to 3)
  • medium anxiety (scoring 4 to 5)
  • high anxiety (scoring 6 to 10)

Confidence intervals

Confidence intervals for each ethnic group are available in the ‘download the data’ section.

The Annual Population Survey is based on a sample of people aged 16 and over across the UK. This measure makes reliable estimates of, for example, the percentage of people aged 16+ with low levels of anxiety, but it’s impossible to be 100% certain of the true percentage.

It’s 95% certain, however, that somewhere between 23.1% and 23.7% of all people aged 16+ in the UK reported low levels of anxiety in 2016. In statistical terms, this is a 95% confidence interval. This means that if 100 random samples were taken, then 95 times out of 100 the estimate would fall between the upper and lower bounds of the confidence interval. But 5 times out of 100 it would fall outside this range.

The smaller the survey sample, the more uncertain the estimate and the wider the confidence interval. For example, fewer people aged 16+ from the Chinese ethnic group responded to the survey than White people aged 16+ , so we can be less certain about the estimate for the smaller group. This greater uncertainty is expressed by a wider confidence interval, for example of between 27.8% and 33.1% for Chinese people aged 16+ in 2016.

All the differences noted in the text are statistically significant. The statistical significance of differences are approximate because they are determined where the 95% confidence intervals for 2 groups or time periods don't overlap.

An example of non-overlapping confidence intervals would be the 2016 results for very low-level anxiety in the Pakistani ethnic group, which had a confidence interval of between 33.6% and 39.8%, and the UK average, which had a confidence interval of between 40.0% and 40.7%.

Suppression rules and disclosure control

Estimates are suppressed if:

  • the sample size is less than 50

  • the degree of variability of responses (coefficient of variation) is greater than 20%

  • the threshold numerator is based on a small number, as defined by the Government Statistical Service (GSS) quality and suppression guidance

Rounding

Estimates of mean scores have been rounded to 2 decimal places; estimates of percentages within thresholds have been rounded to 1 decimal place.

Sample sizes have been rounded to the nearest 10, following Government Statistical Service guidance.

Comparisons have been based on unrounded data.

Quality and methodology information

Further technical information

Labour Force Survey: User guide (PDF opens in a new window or tab)

9. Data sources

Source

Type of data

Survey data

Type of statistic

National Statistics

Publisher

Office for National Statistics

Publication frequency

Yearly

Purpose of data source

The Office for National Statistics collects well-being data to:

  • monitor national well-being
  • support government policy making
  • give individuals data they can use to make informed decisions
  • make comparisons between the UK and other countries

10. Download the data

Anxiety yesterday - Spreadsheet (csv) 94 KB

This file contains: Measure, Year, Ethnicity, Sex, NS-SEC, Threshold, Mean, Percentage, Upper Confidence Interval, Lower Confidence Interval, Sample Size

Publication release date: 21 December 2017

full page history
  1. First published

From: Office for National Statistics

Contents

Share this page