Hanalei Surf by Pierre Bouret
Hawaii Residents enjoy a higher quality of life than others in the U.S.
Hawaii ranked second, after Utah, in a recent poll on rating places for happiness, health and wellbeing.
The survey attempts to measure people's well-being. It examines their eating and exercise habits, work environment and access to basic necessities and other criteria.
Hawaii ranked second, followed by Wyoming, Colorado and Minnesota. West Virginia ranked last, and manufacturing-reliant states like Michigan and Ohio also landed in the bottom 10.
Over 350,000 interviews were conducted in a national survey conducted by Gallup Polls and Healthways. Phone questions included "Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday? Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your job or the work you do? Did you eat healthy all day yesterday? Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?"
Gallup Poll Researcher Harter said that he believed geographic divides could be overstated and even the states with the highest scores had significant work to do to improve certain aspects of their residents' health and happiness.
"It's not just about physical health," said Eric Nielsen, a spokesman for Gallup. "It's about their ability to contribute at work and be more productive, and it's about feeling engaged in a community and wanting to improve that community."
Utah earned the highest marks. Here residents reported a high level of satisfaction in several areas, including work environment, emotional health and their local communities. Utah's unemployment rate in January, was 4.6% compared with a national rate of 7.6%.
Amy Neftzger, director of surveys and assessment for Healthways says the survey is meant to draw attention to quality of life beyond the standard indicators, which have traditionally included statistics like median income, poverty rates and life expectancy.
"When you look at well-being," Neftzger says, "you have to look at whole person and all facets of their life."
Despite Hawaii's economic downturns related to tourism, and increasing unemployment, much of the indicators of quality of life are protected by cultural practices and state legeslation. Residents in Hawaii enjoy public access to beaches, clean water and air, world class natural beauty and an integrated multi-cultural workforce.
Despite a diabetes epidemic among native Hawaiians, Hawaii residents on average enjoy a longer then average lifespan. The main city of Honolulu ranks a relative low #49 in the most populated ciites in the US with around 400,000 people (New York is #1 with over 8 million) and in general the state is still mostly rural, with about million people living across the seven inhabited islands. Hawaii enjoys pockets of affluence such as Waikiki Beach (known as the million dollar mile) from tourism, military and agriculture. Hawaii has strong community values, diverse and tolerant religous beliefs and access to health care, community, state and private advanced educational institutions and year round agricultural growing seasons. Although most food and energy is imported, Hawaii's farmer's markets are increasingly providing fresh fruit and local veggies. Quality of life factors contribute to residents reported happiness.
|
