The Sussex Intelligence Unit’s (SIU) fourth data briefing asks what life satisfaction data can tell us about Sussex that economic data alone cannot.
The Sussex Intelligence Unit’s (SIU) fourth data briefing asks what life satisfaction data can tell us about Sussex that economic data alone cannot. The answer is that Sussex is not one story: some areas record among the highest levels of life satisfaction in England, while others sit among the lowest.
A county of extremes
As our briefing explains, West Sussex (7.70 out of 10) ranks 12th out of 150 local areas in England — the top decile. Within Sussex, Mid Sussex (7.83) ranks 8th out of 300 districts, with Horsham and Rother close behind. Yet Eastbourne and Hastings (both 7.42) sit in the lowest decile in England, and with some notable exceptions, coastal areas record lower life satisfaction than the rest of the county.
The pattern broadly tracks deprivation: Horsham and Mid Sussex are the least deprived areas in Sussex, while Eastbourne and Hastings are the most. But the exceptions matter. Rother scores higher than its deprivation rank would predict — possibly reflecting its older population, since people aged 65–79 consistently report the highest life satisfaction.
Beyond GDP
The timing is significant. In November 2025, the United Nations published a paper on measures of well-being beyond GDP, recognising “a disconnect between what governments pursue and what citizens perceive as meaningful progress”. Life satisfaction is not a soft or secondary measure — it is a signal of whether economic, social and environmental conditions are translating into better lives. The next step is combining this data with local qualitative research, so the differences between Sussex’s places are not only measured, but properly understood.