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A study has revealed the locations of Australia’s happiest and least happy couples – with the Far North Queensland locality Douglas scoring the ignominious title of home to Australia’s least happy marriages.
The research by wellness brand Simply Nootropics using Australian Bureau of Statistics data and Google Search Volume analysis, studying marriage rate, divorce rate and the popularity of divorce services in the area, indicated by Google searches.
“The study analysed Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Australia with populations over 5000 using ABS data on marriage, divorce, and separation, combined with divorce-related Google search volumes. Divorce searches were adjusted per 1000 people to reflect local interest,” Simply Nootropics said, describing their methodology.
“A composite ‘Happiest Couples Index’ was calculated using weighted scores.”
Douglas, Queensland, ranked last on the index with a score of zero, driven by a divorce rate of almost 12 per cent, a separation rate of 3.9 per cent, and a high volume of divorce-related searches per 1000 members of the public per month.
Divorce lawyer Vanessa Hernandez from Australian Family Lawyers said economic issues, the shire’s relatively remote and rural location could be likely factors in fuelling negativity.
“Demographically, Douglas has a strong agricultural base; being more isolated in a rural town would play a big role on the health of the local relationships,” she said.
“High population growth in Queensland and housing insecurity could also be putting additional pressure on couples, particularly young and less established couples to put down roots and draw on community support at a time when they may also be facing more financial stress.”
Hinchinbrook, also in Queensland, was the fifth-unhappiest LGA, while most of the areas were in Western Australia.
