Society, culture and community
How happy are you most of the time?
More than nine in ten (92%) of girls aged 11-16 say they are
happy. Most girls in this age range say that they are ‘quite happy’
(59%) although a significant minority describe themselves as ‘very
happy’ (33%). Only 6% say that they are ‘not very happy’ and 2%
‘not at all happy’.
What makes you happy?
We asked girls who described themselves as ‘happy’ what made
them happy. Friends were by far the most common factor (68%). Other
things that make them happy are family (39%), school (16%), going
out (8%), boyfriends/partners (7%) and hobbies (7%). Girls aged 13
to 16 are more likely than younger girls to mention
school/education as a source of happiness.
Community involvement
When asked if they did any activities to support their local
community, a third (31%) of girls aged 11 to 16 said that they did
informal voluntary activities such as helping their neighbours, a
fifth (20%) said they volunteered on a regular basis, 11%
volunteered occasionally and 8% were involved in local democracy
such as a school council. Two fifths of girls said that they did
not do any of these activities.