These Are Gallup‘s ’Most Miserable’ & ‘Happiest’ States
- Posted on March 1, 2012 at 5:59pm by
Becket Adams
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Yep, it’s that time again. Apparently, pollsters can’t get enough of these surveys. Truth be told, neither can we. Last time The Blaze did a “top whatever” list, we looked at the most loved and hated states in America.
This time, let’s take a look at Gallup’s annual “Well-Being Index.”
So what did Gallup find after surveying 353,492 U.S. adults?
“High unemployment, poor access to basic necessities such as food, shelter and medicine, and rising obesity rates continue to plague many of America’s Southern states,” writes Business Insider’s Dina Spector.
Really? Gallup found Southern states suffer from “poor access” to food, shelter, and medicine? That sounds a bit…drastic.
West Virginians were the least likely to describe themselves as “thriving” and received the unflattering distinction of being the state with the “highest percentage of obese residents.”
Mississippi performed the worst in the “Basic Access Index,” which measures residents’ access to “items essential to wellbeing, including enough money for food, shelter, and medicine; a safe place to exercise; and satisfaction with one’s community.”
Delaware, for the third year in a row, has “the worst workplace perceptions.” The “Work Environment Index” measures issues that include “a trusting and open work environment and whether an employee is able to use his or her strengths to do what he or she does best every day.”
All in all, “Southern states accounted for half of the 10 lowest wellbeing scores,” the report found.
.
Here are the top 5 “most miserable” states, according to the “wellbeing” index:
5. Ohio
Life Evaluation: No. 46
Emotional Health: No. 41
Physical Health: No. 40
Healthy Behavior: No. 42
Work Environment: No. 41
Basic Access: No. 32
.
4. Delaware
Life Evaluation: No. 41
Emotional Health: No. 40
Physical Health: No. 41
Healthy Behavior: No. 35
Work Environment: No. 50
Basic Access: No. 30
.
3. Mississippi
Life Evaluation: No. 34
Emotional Health: No. 32
Physical Health: No. 48
Healthy Behavior: No. 46
Work Environment: No. 49
Basic Access: No. 50
.
2. Kentucky
Life Evaluation: No. 49
Emotional Health: No. 50
Physical Health: No. 49
Healthy Behavior: No. 49
Work Environment: No. 8
Basic Access: No. 40
.
1. West Virginia
Life Evaluation: No. 50
Emotional Health: No. 49
Physical Health: No. 50
Healthy Behavior: No. 44
Work Environment: No. 25
Basic Access: No. 48
So what about these “happy” states?
“Hawaii residents had the highest wellbeing in the nation in 2011 with a Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index score of 70.2, maintaining that state’s No. 1 status for a third consecutive year,” the Gallup report found.
Told you it was the sarong.
“North Dakota, Minnesota, Utah, and Alaska rounded out the top five states,” the report adds.
Hawaiians scored well in the “Emotional Health and Healthy Behaviors” indexes, Alaskans were the most likely to say they were “thriving,” and North Dakota residents say they have the best work environments in the country.
Wait — what are the “Emotional Health and Healthy Behaviors” indexes?
“In terms of emotional health specifically, Hawaiians were the most likely to say they smiled or laughed a lot ‘yesterday’ and the least likely to report daily worry or stress and to have ever been diagnosed with depression,” Gallup reports. “Residents’ good eating and exercise habits and lower smoking rates earned them the distinction of having the best healthy behaviors in the nation.”
Laughing and smiling? Really? These are the metrics we’re going to use?
Here are the top 5 “happiest” states, according to the “well-being” index:
5. Alaska
Life Evaluation: No. 1
Emotional Health: No. 3
Physical Health: No. 20
Healthy Behavior: No. 14
Work Environment: No. 11
Basic Access: No. 47
.
4. Utah
Life Evaluation: No. 5
Emotional Health: No. 12
Physical Health: No. 17
Healthy Behavior: No. 6
Work Environment: No. 5
Basic Access: No. 8
.
3. Minnesota
Life Evaluation: No. 7
Emotional Health: No. 5
Physical Health: No. 1
Healthy Behavior: No. 18
Work Environment: No. 7
Basic Access: No. 2
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2. North Dakota
Life Evaluation: No. 3
Emotional Health: No. 2
Physical Health: No. 8
Healthy Behavior: No. 33
Work Environment: No. 1
Basic Access: No. 10
1. Hawaii
Life Evaluation: No. 1
Emotional Health: No. 2
Physical Health: No. 1
Healthy Behavior: No. 4
Work Environment: No. 44
Basic Access: No. 4
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Are there any national implications to this report?
“The Well-Being Index score for the nation was 66.2 in 2011, down slightly from 66.8 in 2010 and the lowest score Gallup and Healthways have recorded since tracking began in 2008,” the report states. “The decrease in the overall score in 2011 is because of small declines across all six of the sub-indexes that comprise the Well-Being Index.”
But perhaps most importantly, the “wellbeing across states remains essentially static, reflecting the continuing sluggish economy.”
“While some states are standouts year after year, even those places have yet to see significant improvement in residents’ overall wellbeing since the financial crisis of 2008,” the report adds.
It continues:
Improving wellbeing poses a challenge for leaders as many states continue to face severe fiscal problems, reductions in public services, public-sector layoffs or salary cuts, and decreases in federal aid. High unemployment, static or declining salaries, and overwhelming debt burdens — all of which have the potential to affect different aspects of wellbeing — continue to challenge residents.
Final thought: is it a coincidence that the majority of states with high “well-being” rankings are located far, far away from Washington, D.C.? That has got to count for something.
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Comments (48)
slvrserfr
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 8:57amInteresting how MA scores as one of the happiest despite Romneycare criticism in MA, Gingrich‘s GA and Santorum’s PA don’t seem to score nearly as well. Harry Reid’s Nevada scores one of the lowest, that’s not surprising.
Report Post »arfarb55
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:41amIs California so miserable that they have no shade of green to display?
Report Post »arfarb55
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:45amSorry, meant to say they needed a lighter shade of green.
Report Post »Simonne
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 5:56amI come from a happy state so that’s good. I love my state but I don‘t the fact that it’s so liberal.
Report Post »Spyderco
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 4:37amHow is California doing ok? I guess libs love being miserable.
Report Post »Jase
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 3:06pmCalifornia has nearly 40 million people, so it most likely has more conservatives than any other state as well.
Report Post »Roor rips 860
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 1:26amMaby the state of WV is depressed and sad but Morgantown the best fn city in America stays bumpin every day. All the cheap beer hot girls and easy classes whats not to love. Leeeeeeeeeeetttttttttssssssssss goooooooooooooooooooo Mountaineers lets go drink some beers. Big XII Bit&%s shout out to the 860
Report Post »GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 1:18amI don’t know why exactly, but I have a very high opinion of North Carolina….I´ve never been there, and probably is because I’ve heard always good things about that state……am I correct? Is it worth to visit next time there?
Report Post »honestynow
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 8:54amYes. You’d love the mountains and the beaches! Friendly people.
Report Post »US-First
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 1:05amI wonder did the Blaze miss the glaring implication from the only quote they took from the report. That being that according to the Healthways well-being metrics, government needs to spend more.To them improving well-being requires leaders (implication politicians) to increase public services, increase government hiring, increase government salaries and increase federal aid. So basically the report gives this administration a study to reference when rationalizing more government spending. Thats what I see anyway. Anyone else get that?
Report Post »conservativewoman
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:49pmI did my part as far as having babies. I produced 4 girls which means 4 more women having American babies.
Report Post »Ampleforth
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:18pmI figured Kentucky would do much better in 2011 since uofk’s basketball team was doing so well.
Report Post »SilentReader
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:07pmI’m happy that I live in one of the most happiest States. Of course, I already knew that. That‘s why I’m still living here.
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:39pmStrangely, in Ohio, I’m quite happy because I have some level of liberty that folks on the East coast will never know. Hell, Texas doesn’t even know. Palm trees and a socialist enforced “happy joy joy” workplace can’t make up for being able to spend my daily life armed without worrying about hassle as well as seeing crops in every direction during planting/growing/harvest season. And, we’re overrun with deer and have more fish than we know what to do with. Keep the palm trees and faux “happy” workplaces for all I care, I value different things. :)
Report Post »RebelYell1862
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:35pm@ a hoosier says Yeah some of us still refer to individuals like you as yankees. You made a remark yesterday about the Mississippi flag and changing it. As long as a-holes like you spew your crap about something that isn’t your business, especially from up north, then I’ll keep on calling you a f-ing yankee. That’s how the war started to begin with.
Report Post »Brainmuffin
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:29pmSoutherns have a lack of access to food, but also have an increase of obesity. How does that work?
Report Post »RebelYell1862
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 8:25pmBorn and raised in Mississippi. I’ve always been happy here. Republican Governor, Republican state house, Republican senate.We are independent, religious and friendly to those who are friendly to us.Must be yankees who did this survey, they always bad mouth the deep South.
Report Post »A Hoosier Says
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:02pm??? They questioned people from their own states.
By the way, the war’s been over for 147 years. You really think of Americans in terms of rebs vs yanks?
Report Post »RebelYell1862
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:27pm@ a hoosier says Yeah some of us do, especially ones like me who had family in the war. Where was your family back then?
Report Post »foreverfree3840
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:59pmwho cares where his family was, the only thing you know is that your whole family has been ignorant as far back as 147 years, and prob before, and the war did NOT start because of us “yanks” didn’t mind our own business, the war started because we had a moral and ethical responsibility to stand up for those who couldn’t stand up for themselves,
Report Post »LonDog
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 12:34pmUnless you’re a so called Evangelical Christian (Biggest oxymoron in history. Nothing angelic or Christian about those bigots) then you just hate the Mormons.
Report Post »HorseCrazy
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 7:36pmwhat an odd study/survey. why cram all of these things into one generalized bowl of garbage. Just don’t like it and am frankly sick and tired of studies, surveys and the like. People who have more money tend to be able to afford healthier food gym membership trainers etc. Stupid why not just put that since it seems to sum it up
Report Post »3Bigdogs
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 7:18pmHow the heck did the pollsters miss The State of Confusion?
Report Post »OklahomaBound
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 7:16pmI’ve lived in MA, NY, FL, WA and OK and I‘ve never been happier than I am now in Oklahoma and that’s even during the Obama depression.
Report Post »honestynow
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 8:56amPlease tell us why. What makes the difference?
Report Post »Intense66
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 4:09pmWelcome OKLAHOMABOUND! We are happy here!! Good hearted, hard-working, self-reliant, responsible people live here! Shhhh, don’t tell anyone though…we don’t want all the riff-raff moving here!! LOL!!
Report Post »Mateytwo Barreett
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 7:13pmI got a beef with the statistics! There are less than 590,000 people ,according to the census. But there are 825,000 people drawing a paycheck. (non farm income)
Report Post »How do you get a 3.00% unemployment rate. Looks like it work out about a MINUS 18% just sayin’!
Mateytwo Barreett
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 7:09pmDon’t wait- buy now! Getcher quran now, while supplies last.
Report Post »Katydidnt
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:52pmActually, they broke it down by county and I live in the happiest county in America. Lancaster, PA
Report Post »It came down to the happiness and contentness of the people. Huge Amish and Mennonite population, we are used to smiling faces, good friends and good neighbors.
When Glenn came out with his to-do list. I told friends he isn’t a Mormon, he’s an Amish wannabe!
Katydidnt
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 7:00pmActually a funny story. Lititz in Lancaster County had a problem with its water supply the other year. apparantly something leaked from a nearby factory. It was the Scope plant. The water ended up tasting minty fresh.
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:45pmhow could obamacommie Hawaii be on there as # 1 best. what hype and hoeey. they must have polled obamademocrats extensively to get it on there. maybe they must be watching the hollywood hype on Hawaii 5-0. just watch 1 single episode of DOG bounty hunter, if it isn’t corrupt obamademocrats, it is all criminals, meth and ice heads over there.
Report Post »MammalOne
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:54pmI‘m just going to take a wild guess and say you’ve never been to Hawaii. I’m also going to take a wild guess and say your state is probably land locked.
Report Post »wewantchillywilly
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:44pmMinnesota is full of the most passive aggressive people in this country.
Report Post »Searchingforthelight
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:37pmFresh air, Fresh foods ,Fun and Family. Happiness is a state of mind. Healthiness creates happiness.
Report Post »Give me half an acre in the United States and Ill have all the power in the world.
Gonzo
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 10:57amUntil the government uses imminent domain and takes it away.
Report Post »Itsjusttim
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:32pm“The happy gauge.” But they aren’t really happy, because really they are just ignorant. If all those people in those states are not happy now, then they really are going to turn miserable over the next 12-24 months.
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 1:17amIf you‘re happy in Hawaii there’s something very wrong with your perception.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:32pmIf Michigan didn’t make it as one of the 5 most miserable .. I know I don’t want to go to any of those that did!
Report Post »Itsjusttim
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:21pmIn Russia the Russians are encouraging Russians to have babies, and in America we are getting encouraged to abort babies or not have them. What does that mean to you? Or is your mind so small that you haven’t really thought about it?
Report Post »Itsjusttim
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:24pmIt means that the power in the world is getting transferred to Russia.
Report Post »MammalOne
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 7:00pmWho in Russia is encouraging the public to have babies? And how are the doing so?
Report Post »Git-R-Done
Posted on March 17, 2012 at 10:37amMammalone – The Russian government is giving taxpayer money to Russians to have more children.
Report Post »