Why Leeds makes happy cities poll

GOOD TIMES: Family fun as Leeds makes the best use of the city centre with a pop-up beach.

The survey revealed that the city came out as the third happiest city in the UK to be.

Gaming website, GalaBingo.com polled over 2,000 people to find out how we rate happiness and what improves our mood.

Overall, 65 per cent rated their happiness at seven out of ten or above on an average day.

The percentage of residents with a happiness rating of seven or more were Newcastle (72 per cent), Sheffield (69 per cent) and Leeds in third at 66 per cent.

Breaking down what particularly made people happy were the top ten following past times.

Spending time with family (46%); Going on holiday (34%); Eating favourite foods (25%); Socialising with friends (24%); Getting peace and quiet/relaxing (23%); Watching favourite TV show or film (22%); A long night of sleep / a nap (22%); Shopping (16%); Reading (15%); Getting outdoors (14%).

With that in mind, there is no wonder people love life in Leeds because we’ve got it covered.

You can spend time with the family in dozens of ways in the city from parent and child raves to trampolining and visits to stately homes or just embrace the natural environment of the parks and waterways.

Earlier this month we reported that Leeds had the biggest growth in the independent food and drink sector, confirming that we don’t need chains or celebrity names to tempt the tastebuds and the nightlife is changing faster than you can pop the prosecco cork.

Meanwhile, Trinity, Victoria Gate and a revamped Merrion have made Leeds the UK’s third retail destination.