Stressed Britons

One in five British people (20%) say they experience stress on a daily basis and feel the emotional consequences are severe. Nearly half who have ever felt stressed have felt depressed or down (45%), a quarter of people (24%) have felt isolated by it, and one in eight (13%) believing they have nowhere to turn.

15 May 2003

The research, commissioned by Samaritans, also shows that two in five people (40%) feel their stress levels have increased over the past five years. A quarter (24%) feel that they are the same as five years ago and only one-third say they have gone down (33%).

The main causes of stress are work (mentioned by 36% of those who experience stress), money (33%) and family (24%). The most common means of reducing stress is watching TV or listening to music, chosen by a third (33%) of stressed Britons. Other popular methods are going for walk (27%), phoning or visiting a friend or relative for a chat (25%), having a cup of tea (23%) or an alcoholic drink (23%). One in seven (15%) choose to do nothing about it, however.

Technical details

A nationally representative quota sample of 1,885 British adults aged 15+ were interviewed throughout Great Britain on the MORI Omnibus, across 191 sampling points. Interviews were carried out using CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing), face-to-face in respondents' homes between 3-8 April 2003. Data have been weighted to reflect the known national population profile. Eighty-two per cent of British adults say they have ever felt stressed.

Topline Results

Q1 Firstly, thinking about your daily life in general, which of these describe how often, if at all, you feel stressed? Just read out the letter that applies.

	%
Never	18
Less than once a month	18
Between once a week and once a month	19
More than once a week but less than once a day	23
Once a day or more often	20
Don't know	3

Q2 And would you say that compared to five years ago you are more stressed on a daily basis, less stressed, or that your stress levels are about the same?

	%
More stressed	40
Less stressed	24
About the same	33
Don't know	2

Q3 Thinking about when you are stressed, which two or three of the following, if any, do you feel is the BIGGEST source of stress for you personally at the moment?

Base: All who feel stressed (1,523)

	%
Job/Workplace	36
Money	33
Family	24
My health/The health of someone close to me	18
The future for my children/grandchildren/other young people	15
Relationships	14
The war in Iraq	12
Violence in society	12
Drug use in today's society	10
Queuing on a phone line or queuing in shops	8
The threat of a terrorist attack in the UK	7
School/college/university	6
Using public transport	5
The current global political situation	5
Not having enough pension	5
The NHS/Health Service	5
Where I live	4
Friends	3
IT/ computers — for example the slowness of the Internet	3
Lack of social contact	3
Racial tension where I live	1
Religious tension where I live	1
The situation with Israel and Palestine	1
Other	4
Don't know	3

Q4 And still thinking about when you are stressed, please tell me which, if any, of these you would be likely to do to help make you feel less stressed?

Base: All who feel stressed (1,523)

	%
Nothing — I just get on with it	15
Watch TV or listen to music	33
Go for a walk to get out of the house/Take the dog for a walk	27
Phone or visit a friend/relative for a chat	25
Have a glass of wine, a beer or a measure of spirits	23
Have a cup of tea/ coffee	23
Have a cigarette	18
Do something active such as go to the gym or do other exercise	16
Gardening	15
Go to a bar/pub	14
Indulge in hobby, such as cooking a meal	13
Go to the shops to spend money	11
Go on to the Internet or play a computer game	8
Go for a drive to get out of the house	8
Treat yourself to something like a facial, massage or other form of paid therapy	5
Go to the doctor for medication to help deal with it	5
Go to a club/clubbing	4
Try to ignore reports in the news about the cause of your stress	3
Hurt yourself	*
Other	5
None of these	2
Don't know	1
Refused	1

Q5 This next question is about the feelings that people can have when experiencing stress and pressure. The question is strictly confidential and is in no way meant to offend. Which, if any, of the following have you ever personally felt as a result of being stressed?

Base: All who feel stressed (1,523)

	%
Depressed/Down for a period of time	45
The need to put the causes of my stress in perspective	31
Powerless	25
Isolated/alone	24
That there is no-one you can turn to for help	13
Suicidal	6
None of these	20
Don't know	1
Refused	1

Q6 I am now going to read out some statements. For each one I read out could you please tell me how strongly you agree or disagree with it?

Base: All who feel stressed (1,523)

	Strongly agree	Tend to agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Sometimes I feel that the stress I have about a problem is worse than the problem itself	19	49	12	15	4	1
I have found the war in Iraq upsetting	27	36	14	16	6	1

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