Canberra has already been ranked the best place to live in the world and now it has emerged ACT residents are among Australia's happiest, most cultured and most active.
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When asked to rate their overall life satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 10, Canberrans aged 15 and older picked an average of 7.7, new research from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows.
That was above the Australian average of 7.6 and just below the highest average of 7.8 in South Australia.
Residents of NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia and the Northern Territory all recorded an average of 7.6, while Tasmania was on par with the the capital at 7.7.
The national figure was higher than Australia's 7.3 rating in a recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development survey and the OECD average of 6.6.
It followed an OECD report from October last year, which ranked 362 regions across the globe according to nine wellbeing measures, and found Canberra was the best place to live in the world.
In that report, when each topic, across access to broadband, education, income, jobs, environment, health, safety, housing and civic engagement was equally weighted, Canberra was found to be the top ranking "region" in terms of well-being worldwide.
The ABS research found Australians 75 and older were the happiest overall with an average life satisfaction rating of 8.8. That was compared to 7.7 for those aged 15 to 24.
Women, with an average score of 7.7, were more satisfied with their lives overall than men at 7.6.
Gay and lesbian Australians residents rated their satisfaction levels at 7.5, higher than bisexuals at 6.6.
That was the same figure as for Australians with a mental illness (6.6), while people with a disability rated 7.2.
Recent migrants reported greater life satisfaction (7.7) than single parents (7).
The ABS fourth General Social Survey also showed Canberrans were more likely to have marvelled at art, books and films than most Australians.
Ninety-two per cent of Canberrans had been to a cultural or leisure event in the past year, which was above the national average of 87 per cent and the highest of any jurisdiction.
Sixty-one per cent had visited a museum or art gallery, which was far above the national average of 38 per cent.
Only 44 per cent of Australians had been to a public library in the past year, compared to 53 per cent of Canberrans.
Seventy-eight per cent of Canberrans had been to the movies, more than the national average of 69 per cent.
And 57 per cent had been to a zoo, aquarium or botanic garden, while only 47 per cent of Australians had overall.
Seventy-eight per cent of Canberrans had taken part in a sporting or recreational physical activity, which was also above the national average of 71 per cent.
Ten per cent of ACT residents reported a stressful event, such as a divorce, serious illness or job loss, in the past year. That was below the national average of 12 per cent.
Canberrans also felt the safest walking alone after dark of any Australians but had an above average chance of falling victim to crime, with more than 7 per cent experiencing a single crime incident in the past year.
They were also the most tolerant, with 92 per cent who strongly agreed multiculturalism was good for society, compared to 85 per cent nationwide.
People in the capital were the least likely of all Australians to see relatives on a daily basis, with 16 per cent having face-to-face contact compared to 19 per cent nationally.
The majority, or 60 per cent, saw relatives at least once a week.
