The numbers are in and some results may surprise you, while others may not. It is no surprise that Hawaii reports the best quality of life according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index conducted between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2010. This ranking was based on scores on three well-being categories: life evaluation, emotional health and physical health. To some surprise, the bitterly cold state of North Dakota placed third and remote Alaska, fourth.
Now, here is last year’s top ten list (ranked out of 100 total possible points):
- Hawaii: 71.0
- Wyoming: 69.2
- North Dakota: 68.4
- Alaska: 68.3
- Colorado: 68.0
- Minnesota: 68.0
- South Dakota: 68.0
- Utah: 67.9
- Connecticut: 67.9
- Nebraska: 67.8
Special mention goes to Delaware, whose residents reported the worst work environments in the country, while those living in South Dakota were most positive about work conditions. Compared with 2009 well-being results, Vermont still boasted the best overall health habits in America, and Kentucky continued to have the worst. Massachusetts residents indicated the best access to necessities crucial to high well-being, while Mississippi residents again reported the worst, with a score on this index even lower than it was in 2009.
With many states encountering fiscal problems that have led to layoffs and salary cuts of public employees along with public-school closings, Gallup experts say it’ll be an upward climb to improve states’ well-being scores. They say states must find a way to increase residents’ access to good jobs and basic necessities including medical care, while decreasing costly, chronic conditions, such as obesity and diabetes in order to improve rankings.
In related information, Alvin Kuo Wong of Hawaii, 69, was singled out as the model “happiest man” in the United States this week. He’s a 5 foot 10 inch Chinese American who converted to Judaism and the father of two adult children.
Gallup provided a template, saying this hypothetical person would be a tall, Asian-American, observant Jew who is at least 65 and married, has children, lives in Hawaii, runs his own business and has a household income of more than $120,000 a year. When factoring in key data such as age, marital status, parenthood and income, Wong was the only man on the island of Oahu who fit all the criteria.
The term quality of life is often used to evaluate the general wellbeing of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of living, which is based primarily on income. Instead, standard indicators of the quality of life include not only wealth and employment, but also the built environment, physical and mental health, education, recreation and leisure time, and social belonging.
Also frequently related are concepts such as freedom, human rights, and happiness. However, since happiness is subjective and hard to measure, other measures are generally given priority. It has also been shown that happiness, as much as it can be measured, does not necessarily increase correspondingly with the comfort that results from increasing income. As a result, standard of living should not be taken to be a measure of happiness.
Source: Gallup Wellbeing Report
Written by Sy Kraft, B.A.