The Harris Museum at night- one of the best things to do in Preston
Image credit: Dave Wilson, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)

Recent studies into lifestyles across the UK reveal conflicting information about the experiences of people living in Preston. On the one hand, the Lancashire city is listed as one of the most relaxing places to live in England. However, on the other hand, research finds the residents are some of the most stressed in Britain. So, how bad are stress levels in Preston, and are the residents stressed or relaxed?

Stress Levels in Preston

CBDfx, a CBD oil products company, researched stress levels across England. They used data from the Office of National Statistics, focusing on the health index. They used data from all local authorities in England and chose three factors to measure:

  • Feelings of anxiety
  • Life satisfaction
  • Mental health

The lower the score on the index, the more stressed people are. Chesterfield topped the list of stressful places to live with a stress score of only 79.4. Chesterfield scored 74.6 for mental health and 76.7 for anxiety. The overall score was higher due to a reasonable life satisfaction score of 87.

Preston ranks tenth on the list, with an overall score of 86.6, suggesting Preston’s stress levels are high. The Lancashire city got its worst score in the feelings of anxiety category, scoring 76.7. For life satisfaction, Preston scored 87, and it fared much better for mental health, with a relatively high score of 95.3.
The rest of results for the top ten most stressed places in England are as follows:

RankLocationMental HealthAnxietyLife SatisfactionAverage Score
1Chesterfield74.676.78779.4
2Thanet82.569.78779.7
3Norwich8564.49681.8
4Barrow-in-Furness82.68284.483
5Exeter84.479.485.983.2
6Redditch89.386.974.283.5
7Lincoln81.483.988.184.4
8Newark and Sherwood9880.276.985
9Bassetlaw91.884.680.685.7
10Preston95.376.78786.3

Preston Listed as a Relaxing Place to Live

Interestingly, other research shows that Preston is one of England’s most relaxing places to live. BrownsCBD, another UK CBD brand, conducted the research using the following metrics:

  • Life Satisfaction
  • Happiness levels
  • Anxiety levels
  • Median weekly pay
  • Price of petrol and cost of living
  • Average distance to parks, gardens or playing fields
  • Gyms and health clubs per 100k people

According to the results, the East Midlands city of Derby is the most relaxing place to live in the UK, while Aberdeen is the most relaxing place in Scotland, ranking tenth on the overall UK list. Preston ranks sixth on the list but is the most relaxing place to live in North West England. The results for the top ten most relaxing places to live in the UK are as follows:

RankCityIndex Score
1Derby67.53
2Worcester60.13
3Bath58.57
4Gloucester58.01
5Southampton56.52
6Preston56.33
7Stoke-on-Trent54.38
8Coventry53.54
9Nottingham53.46
10Aberdeen53.05

So, Are Stress Levels in Preston High or Low?

As the results seem to conflict, it may make you wonder whether stress levels in Preston are high or low. Is it possible for Preston to be both a stressful and relaxing place to live? Both studies used different factors to assess people’s lives in the UK. Some people may find certain aspects of their lives stressful while finding other aspects relaxing. For example, money is a common cause of stress, but if a person lives in an environment they enjoy, they may still feel relaxed.

What Do You Think?

Do you live in Preston, Lancashire? What do you think about stress levels in Preston? Is the Lancashire city a stressful or relaxing place to live? Let us know in the comments below. You might like to check out our other articles about Preston, including the best budget hotels, vegetarian restaurants, Japanese restaurants, and things to do.