Wellbeing 24 I feel loved Figure 18: Breakdown of responses to Wellbeing theme questions 4% 8% 15% 28% 45% Strongly disagree Moderately disagree Neutral Moderately agree Strongly agree I feel ashamed * 31% 23% 17% 15% 14% I feel rejected by others * 26% 24% 20% 15% 16% I feel capable of making decisions 3% 6% 14% 31% 46% This year’s lower wellbeing score reflects a smaller proportion of applicants who strongly agree that they feel loved, alongside lower scores across each of the ONS wellbeing indicators. Wellbeing has edged down, with lower scores across all ONS indicators. * For this question, agreement indicates a negative response; the score for this question was reversed when calculating the index score Appendices Introduction Wellbeing Thematic analysis Applicant Index Report 2026 Belonging, equity and inclusion The Wellbeing score combines two sets of questions to provide a snapshot of the cohort’s mental wellbeing. 64 Down 1 from 2025 Back to contents