Around half a million children in the UK in the eight to 15 age range have a low sense of well-being at any one time according to a major research study by The Children's Society. The Good Childhood Report 2012 finds that low well-being increases dramatically with age – doubling from the age of 10 (7%) to the age of 15 (14%).  Children reporting overall low levels of happiness are affected in many ways being much less likely to enjoy being at home with their family, to feel safe when with their friends, to like the way they look and to feel positive about their future. The study, which is based on interviews with more than 30,000 children from 2008 to 2011, also found that material wealth was an important factor in a child's happiness with children as young as eight aware of family financial issues their families face and those in families who have experienced a reduction in income more likely to have low well-being.
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PSE 2011 is a major collaboration between the University of Bristol, Heriot-Watt University, The Open University, Queen's University Belfast, University of Glasgow and the University of York working with the National Centre for Social Research and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.