Italians are among the unhappiest people in the world, according to a survey of 40 countries conducted by the research institute Censis, with 26.4 percent dissatisfied with the quality of their lives compared with a global average of 18.7 percent. The highest proportion of unhappy Italians was found in big cities (28.2 percent), in the north-west (29.6 percent), among women (30.8 percent) and among those with only the most basic education (33.7 percent). The reasons given for this discontent were the stress of work and worries about health and social security. The family unit is still strong however; 51.4 percent of Italians live no more than 15 minutes from their mothers' houses. The happiest people, the survey found, are the Swiss, of whom only 3.6 percent were dissatisfied with their lives.