Rural and Regional Australians ‘Happier’ Than City Counterparts: Report

A study by one of Australia four major banks has found Australians living in rural and regional areas to be the happiest in the country. (ShutterStock)

A study by one of Australia four major banks has found Australians living in rural and regional areas to be the happiest in the country—the highest rating NAB economists have seen since 2018.

The report (pdf) by the National Australia Bank surveyed over 2000 Aussies across the country and found rural and regional Australians having lower consumer and job stress, and higher levels of wellbeing. The survey explored issues such as consumer stress, spending patterns, buying behaviours and wellbeing.

It also found people living in rural areas to have the highest levels of happiness, just ahead of people in regional cities. Anxiety was also lowest by some margin in rural areas, followed by regional cities, and was highest in the capital cities.

Regional Australians also reported positive experiences such as greater work-life balance, more quality time with family, living more simply, having greater empathy for others, and more gratitude.

NAB’s Executive for Regional and Agribusiness, Julie Rynski, said the report helps explain why many Australians moved from the capital cities to regional and rural areas with 2020 seeing the highest migration with 43,000 Australians moving to regional areas from capital cities, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

“This research absolutely reflects what we are seeing and hearing from people in rural communities across Australia. The pandemic has clearly given people a reason to reassess their life priorities with many opting for a green change that is paying dividends in terms of their happiness and overall wellbeing,” Rynski said.

“Some of the primary drivers of happiness are being close to nature and having a strong sense of community. Regional and rural locations are perfect for meeting these needs while also providing a more relaxed lifestyle and in many cases a lower cost of living.”

The report added that if migration to rural and regional Australia remains strong, it should also result in more investments in key regional community assets such as schools, transport and hospitals in the longer term.

“At the same time, ideal seasonal conditions and rising prices for several key commodities have supported farm and mining incomes, creating opportunities for regional business,” the report states.

However, health outcomes for rural Australians have been an ongoing issue with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reporting that on average, rural and remote Australians have shorter lives, higher levels of disease and injury, and poorer access to and use of health services, compared with people living in metropolitan areas.

For example, one statistic from the AIHW found that mortality rates were 1.4 times as high for males and 1.8 times as high for females compared to major cities.

This comes as the chief executive for the Rural Doctors Association of Australia, Peta Rutherford, told Sky News that access issues to medical and health services for rural communities “is a real challenge.”

“[T]hat issue of travelling to have to access services also contributes to the poorer health outcomes, and that’s not just with doctors, that’s also with allied health professionals as well. So the access issue and burden for rural Australians [and] remote Australians, is a real challenge and it certainly has an impact on their health outcomes.”