MODERN life is tough, if a survey looking at the anxieties facing York residents is anything to go by.

The report, commissioned by CPP, the York-based life assistance firm, found that more than half of the city's residents questioned are suffering sleepless nights - worrying about everything from terrorist threats to identity theft.

Rising house prices and crippling mortgage repayments came top of the list of worries for people in the city, with 78 per cent of those asked saying it concerned them.

But estate agents in the city said people should not worry about house prices.

Gill Marsh, managing director of the Acomb branch of Halifax Estate Agents, said she had not seen a significant increase in property prices for York.

"I don't think people should worry about property prices. Obviously, there will be a regular increase as interest rates go up, but nothing significant," she said.

"It will always be a struggle for first-time buyers to get on the property ladder, but it is a risk everyone has to take."

The study, by Dr David Lewis, a cognitive neuropsychologist, looked at what negative and positive life events caused people anxiety and how people reacted to them.

"The results of this survey confirm that high levels of anxiety are prevalent in modern society," he said.

"These anxieties include terrorist attacks and growing recognition of the damaging consequences of modern lifestyles on the environment and mankind.

"In both cases, we feel these events to be beyond our ability to control and this sense of helplessness in the face of danger is the third factor that serves to intensify our other concerns.

"Societal anxieties have risen sharply in the last five years and the trend looks set to continue."

The survey indicated the younger generation were the worst worriers, with 15 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds questioned admitting to being deeply concerned about social and global problems, compared with nine per cent of over-54s.

The recent upsurge in identity theft caused the most sleepless nights for people across the United Kingdom.

It ranked second among York residents, with 64 per cent of people worried about the crime.

Nationally, house prices were the second biggest worry, with less than half of people admitting to anxiety.

Climate change was another big concern, with 57 per cent of York residents and 39 per cent of Britons worrying about the issue.


York's top ten anxieties

1) Property prices2) Identity theft3) Climate change4) Super bugs5) Personal debt6) Vandalism7) Failing schools8) Immigration9) Terrorist attack10) NHS cutbacks