Survey reveals most stressed regions in the UK

A new study has revealed the most ‘stressed out’ regions of the UK, with the average person spending around 10 days a month feeling stressed.

While everyone is affected by stress in different ways, for many people coping with stress can have a debilitating impact on their physical and emotional wellbeing. Especially if they are experiencing stress and anxiety daily.

A poll of 2,000 adults by HR software provider Ciphr found that most (86%) felt stressed at least once a month. But as many as one in nine (11%) reported being stressed every single day.

People living in the North East of England suffer with stress more often, on average, than anywhere else in the UK, at 11.3 days a month. That works out to 135 days – over a third of a year – dealing with some form of stress.

Those in the South West of England and Northern Ireland are similarly affected – averaging 11.1 and 11 days of stress a month respectively. The least stressed region (in comparison) is the East Midlands. East Midlanders typically feel stressed for 8.4 days a month, or about 100 days a year.

Who is the most likely to be stressed? Based on Ciphr’s data, it’s Londoners. A significant 91% of people living in London say they feel stressed at least once a month. The second most stressed are those in Scotland and the North West of England, where 88% of people said the same.

The regions where people experience stress on the most regular basis, however, are Yorkshire and the Humber and the North East. One in seven (13%) adults here feel stressed every day.

Looking at the UK as a whole, women are generally more likely to feel stressed more often than men. They experience stress for 11.7 days a month, compared to men’s 8.7 days. Women are also the most likely to say they feel stressed every single day (14%, compared to 9% of men).

The main causes of stress, according to those polled, are not getting enough sleep or feeling tired (cited by 41% of respondents), money worries (38%), family or relationship issues (34%), health concerns (32%), and work in general (30%).

Over one in four people find their workload (28%) stressful. A similar share of people also get stressed out by the news and what’s going on in the world (27%), their weight (25%), cleaning and household chores (23%), and the busyness of life (having a busy schedule, 23%).

The findings form part of Ciphr’s updated Workplace stress statistics in the UK report, examining the incidence and causes of stress (in and outside of work) in 2024.

Ciphr commissioned a survey (conducted by OnePoll) of 2,000 nationally representative UK adults in August 2024.

Ciphr is the go-to HR software and solutions partner for medium and large organisations in the UK. Its integrated HR, payroll, learning and recruitment software, services and content provide invaluable insights to HR teams to inform their people strategy and grow and develop their organisations. Based in Reading, Ciphr is on a mission to amplify the voice and value of HR through intelligent people data solutions that help HR be heard – in the boardroom and across the business.

For more information, please visit www.ciphr.com.