We asked Albertans, how happy are you? Here's what you told us!

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Jun 12, 2015, 08:13 ET

CALGARY, June 12, 2015 /CNW/ - The results are in from the first-ever ATB Financial Alberta Happiness Survey and, it turns out, we're a pretty happy bunch. The majority of Albertans surveyed said they had a high level of life satisfaction, general happiness and emotional well-being. In fact, eight out of ten Albertans say they are happy.

As the first-ever comprehensive survey done on happiness in our province, ATB discovered what makes Albertans happy and the top three factors turned out to be:

Feeling healthy
Supportive relationships with family and friends
Time spent doing things they love

Still, Albertans have some room to improve when it comes to happiness. Our overall happiness level is lower than the United States (87 per cent) and many European countries.

"We were happy to learn that most Albertans—79 per cent of them—feel our province is a great place to find happiness," says Rob Roach, Senior Analyst at ATB Financial. "It's interesting to note the survey happened when the economic slowdown was already underway, a time we know, has been difficult for many Albertans."

Money doesn't buy happiness, but it does matter, the survey says. The percentage of Albertans who say they are happy jumped from 68 per cent among those with household incomes below $30,000 to 88 per cent among those with incomes of $150,000 or more.

"At ATB, we're an insatiably curious crew, and we always want to know more about where we live and work and build our happiness," says Roach. "That's why we did the survey. Now we have a real starting point for a deeper conversation about the things Albertans say are key to their happiness."

The most unexpected finding of the survey was the high percentage of Albertans (68 per cent) who want to live in the province for the rest of their lives. Given the perception that there are more favourable places for retirement and adventure—this response was a welcome surprise.

For an overview of the key findings, see ATB Financial's new quarterly e-publication, Perch.

For a report on the full survey, see Happiness in Alberta: The results of ATB Financial's Alberta Happinesss Survey (June 2015).

Follow The Owl over the next week for a daily breakdown of the findings. And, then, on June 22, ATB takes the findings of our Alberta Happiness Survey to heart, with a day-long contest to make smiles and wallets a little bigger—watch for it!

SOURCE ATB Financial