The Countryside Living Index carried out to record how people feel about their lives, found that the satisfaction ratings of people living in the countryside leapt by 10.7 per cent between the first and second quarters of 2013, with their views about the cost of living, education and crime all improving.Meanwhile confidence about jobs and the economy fell 3.8 per cent in urban areas. 

People in both rural and urban areas said that they felt more optimistic about health, education and the environment, but the positive change was much more pronounced among country-dwellers than city inhabitants.
However, for young people the lack of rural jobs paying a living wage and high transport and housing costs continue to make it hard for them to live in the countryside, and we urge the Government to support this group to prevent country homes being affordable only for second homeowners and city commuters.'