The good life

What constitutes the good life? The YouGov survey published yesterday in The National on perceptions of the quality of life in the UAE won't shed any more light on this question than philosophers from Plato to Sartre. But the survey's results provide us a with a sense of the shared purpose that exists within the UAE's incredibly diverse populous. Security and spending time with family were rated as high contentment factors among all groups surveyed. The availability of education and a healthy environment in which to raise children were also prominent influences over whether people were satisfied with their lives.

Certainly, it's human to whinge about what isn't perfect, but that's also what motivates us to make things better for ourselves and our families. The majority of respondents, 51 per cent, said that the quality of their lives was extremely good. We're a satisfied bunch, but there's still room for improvement. There's also an opportunity for the contended majority to reach out to those who are less pleased with their lot.