When asked "How satisfied are you with your life in general?", 41.4 percent of respondents gave their lives an eight out of ten or higher, found national statistics office Istat. That's up from 39.6 percent 12 months prior, and the highest percentage since at least 2012.

At the same time, the percentage of people saying they were dissatisfied – rating their life five out of ten or lower – dropped from 16.4 to 14.7. The most common response, though, was "reasonably satisfied": six or seven out of ten, which was the score 42.3 percent of respondents gave their lives. That figure remained stable year on year.