Having a job is more important to people than how much they are paid, a survey published today has found.

The poll, by the Office for National Statistics, has revealed the things that matter most to people in this economic climate are job security, family relationships and health.

Councillor Dave Green said the findings reflected the economic uncertainty felt by many people.

He said: “Clearly people’s major concern at the moment is job security and the effect of the economic climate which we are living in.

“It demonstrates a concern about future employment so the results aren’t something that would come as a surprise.”

Mike Cartwright, policy executive at Bradford Chamber of Commerce, predicted a “flat” year ahead for the district’s job market.

He said: “These types of responses will remain to the fore for the rest of 2011. Recruitment will remain very flat throughout the rest of the year. There is still a lot more to come, we feel, in terms of job losses, pay freezing, and reduced working.”

The ONS carried out the survey with the question What Matters To You?

The findings are from the first tranche of responses. Themes of what matters to people coming through so far include: l People are more interested in their children having a better life and a nice place to live l Job security, not just wealth l Health l Freedom of society l Spiritual and religious beliefs Paul Allin, director of the measuring national well-being programme at ONS, said: “The most relevant measures of well-being should encompass the elements of life that matter to people most, which is why ONS is conducting a national debate to find out what these are.

“Objective measures such as crime, employment and life expectancy rates will be combined with subjective measures such as fear of crime, job-satisfaction and self-reported health, to give a more complete picture of national well-being.

“We want to encourage people to tell us what matters to them. The more responses we have, the more realistic a picture of the UK we will have.”

The debate will run until April, and the findings will inform the development of the measures that will be used to track the nation’s well-being. People can take part by visiting the ONS website ons.gov.uk/wellbeing or following it on twitter.com/statisticsONS