With the Royal Wedding weeks away, all eyes are trained on the UK.
Now there's even more reason to keep our gaze fixed on Britain, with the release of the first-ever Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index (WBI), which gives a bird's-eye view of health and happiness in the sovereign state.
Though the goal was not to set up a comparison between the UK and the U.S. -- the WBI was introduced here in 2008 -- the U.S. data can be used as an important benchmark.
So how did it all come together?
Over the course of three months, researchers called some 3,000 adults, at random, in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Callers asked respondents about what the WBI has determined to be its five main factors -- in addition to physical health -- that contribute to the well being. Those includes things like general working conditions and a sense that your community is moving forward.
"This study was supported all the way up at the top," said Nikki Duggan, Director of Analytics at Healthways. "Prime Minister David Cameron believes that wellbeing should inform policy decisions in the UK, because it affects healthcare costs so dramatically."
Tom Cox, COO of Healthways said that because the data is new, it is a little early for policies to have been put in place. But he said that eventually, the data will help government and business leaders pinpoint what areas of well being are suffering in their respective communities, thus affecting how healthcare funds should be allocated.
So how does the UK stack up to the U.S., health-wise? Take a look.
