Three quarters of Maltese people are satisfied with their lives, but those in relationships – and particularly married couples – are especially likely to be happy, according to a new local study.

Research by the National Centre for Family Research, published this morning, show that being in a relationship, especially if the relationship itself is a satisfying one, is closely linked to general life satisfaction.

Satisfaction also tends to be higher with children, but only if they’re young or all grown-up: raising teenage children of either gender, on the other hand, was linked to a drop in life satisfaction.

In contrast, lack of adequate income was revealed as the major cause of dissatisfaction in life and relationships across most age ranges and relationship situations. Problems at work, conflicts with other people, and physical or mental health problems were the other main causes.

In total, a representative sample of just under 2500 people took part in the survey, the first to look at differences in life satisfaction across different relationship and life situations, with the goal of helping professionals to deliver better services and more effectively target educational campaigns.

Most respondents reported themselves as satisfied with their relationships. This was particularly true for married people and for those with adequate income.

Relationship satisfaction does not seem to depend on gender or age or nationality of the partner, nor even the presence of children. Highest levels of satisfaction were noted with daughters under nine or sons over 20, while teenage children could also be a threat to relationship satisfaction.

For those who were otherwise satisfied with their relationship, the biggest problems reported were lack of time to spend with their partner, lack of communication and income problems.

For those with more troubled relationships, on the other hand, fidelity and violence were both major concerns, affecting one in three and nearly one in ten people respectively.

Very few of those who reported a lack of satisfaction with their relationship said they had sought help, but those that did were more likely to go to a member of the clergy than to a counsellor or other professional.

For single people, meanwhile, the news was also good. People not in a relationship are also generally very satisfied, according to the study with single women generally happier than men, and those in the 26-30 or 76-80 age ranges particularly satisfied.