Family and Friends Most Important for Dubai Residents’ Health, Happiness

New YouGov research has found that family and friends play the most important role in living a healthy and happy life for 60% of Dubai residents – making it the biggest contributing factor to their overall health and happiness according to the findings.

The study, conducted amongst more than 500 people living in Dubai, surveyed respondents across a spectrum of key health and happiness indicators including exercise, diet, smoking, relaxation, sleep, life enjoyment, impatience and support networks.

The findings reveal that Dubai’s residents generally enjoy life with just over half (52%) claiming they enjoy their work and daily routine always, usually or frequently. Just under half also find it easy to sleep and relax in the city with 46% both claiming they always, usually or frequently get 7-8 hours of sleep at least 4 nights a week and find it easy to relax.

Paying close attention to their diet and exercise, which are key components of a healthy lifestyle, are also a priority for Dubai residents. 40% claim they always, usually or frequently exercise for 30 minutes at least twice a week, whilst 45% eat a balanced diet.

Comparatively fewer respondents tend to avoid smoking however, with just 38% claiming they don’t always, usually or frequently smoke cigarettes or Shisha in the Emirate.

When it comes to impatience, despite nearly half of respondents claiming they find it easy to relax, just 36% claim they don’t (always, usually or frequently) get impatient when delayed – making it the biggest threat to respondents’ ability to lead a healthy and happy lifestyle overall.

When considering all health and happiness indicators, the research found that Dubai has a relatively high urban health and happiness index score of 62 out of 100 overall – indicating the vast majority of the Emirate’s inhabitants are happy and healthy.