Do You Live in the Most Stressed-Out State?

Survey reveals Hawaii to be least stressed-out state in the country.

Hawaii was reported to be the least stressed state in the country, not surprising. 

In its fifth annual survey, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index revealed 89.7 percent of Hawaiians experienced the most perpetual enjoyment in their paradise compared to 84.9 percent of Americans in other states overall. 

Calculated through daily surveys with residents, Gallup found only 32.1 percent of Hawaiians reported to experience stress on a daily basis versus 40.6 percent of people in other states.

Residents in states which reported the least stress also experienced the most enjoyment than those in states which reported to feel less enjoyment and more stress. 

There was one exception though. Utah surveyed to be in the top five states for both stress and enjoyment. Survey conductors are not quite sure what to make of their findings. 

Here are the five most stressed-out states, as measured by the proportion of people who reported feeling stress "a lot of the day yesterday":

West Virginia, 47.1 percent
Rhode Island, 46.3 percent
Kentucky, 44.8 percent
Utah, 44.6 percent
Massachusetts, 43.4 percent

The five least stressed-out states:

Hawaii, 32.1 percent
Louisiana, 37.6 percent
Mississippi, 37.9 percent
Iowa, 38.1 percent
Wyoming, 38.6 percent

The five states that experienced the most enjoyment:

Hawaii, 89.7 percent
Wyoming, 88.8 percent
Utah, 88.7 percent
North Dakota, 87.9 percent
Idaho, 87.3 percent

The five states that experienced the least enjoyment:

Rhode Island, 80.4 percent
Kentucky, 81.3 percent
New Jersey, 82.0 percent
New York, 82.1 percent
West Virginia, 82.7 percent

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Photo Credit: Kintail.com 

Education Alert: Teachers Aren’t As Disgruntled As You Think

Polling data finds teachers job satisfaction is second only to physicians

Let’s face it – teachers are often targets of stress-inducing criticism from nearly everyone they work with and for. But they aren’t as unhappy with their careers as you think they must be! According to a new analysis of polling data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which measures physical and emotional health, job satisfaction and feelings of community and safety, being a teacher is ranked second only to physicians. Teachers ranked above all other professions in answers to questions about whether they “smiled or laughed yesterday,” and whether they experienced happiness and enjoyment the day before the survey. These Gallup poll findings contrast with a MetLife survey of teachers last month, which reported job satisfaction at a 25-year low among teachers. The Gallup poll results, based on 172,300 interviews – 9,370 of them teachers – are not completely inconsistent with some of the MetLife findings. Teachers reported stress levels to Gallup that were similar to the MetLife survey. (New York Times)

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Five Years Strong: Americans Still Confident About U.S. Economy

Upbeat outlook keeps steady despite slow growth, negative signs

The economy is getting better and better. We know that. But there are still more negative signs than positives overall. Despite that, a new Gallup poll finds Americans remain as upbeat about the economy as they have at any point in the last five years. Gallup says Americans aren’t even deterred by the rising gas prices or the gridlock in Washington, D.C. over policies that will affect economic growth. The record highs in the stock market is also helping to keep confidence steady. The polling firm’s Economic Confidence Index is based on Americans’ rating of current condition and their assessment of whether the economy is getting better or worse. Gallup’s tracking last week found confidence is on a upward trend. (Gallup)

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More Gifts? Christmas Spending Expected Better This Season

Survey finds people budgeting more cash for presents this year

Tell the kids; it may be time to expand their wish lists. U.S. consumers say they will likely spend more money on Christmas gifts this year compared to the amount they spent last year. According to a Gallup pol taken last week, consumers predicted they will spend an average of $770. About 30 percent of those surveyed said they would spend $1,000 or more. That’s a slight increase over what survey respondents estimated last year. That points to moderately good sales season for holiday retailers this year. (Gallup)

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Survey Finds Blacks Have Highest Percentage of Gays and Lesbians in U.S.

Gallup, which performed the study, said it was the largest study of its kind ever

A new Gallup survey finds that African Americans have the highest percentage of people identifying as homosexual in the U.S. 

The organization interviewed 121,000 people for the survey and based on findings estimates that 3.4 percent of American adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. That number jumps to 4.6 percent for African Americans. Gallup called it the largest study of its kind ever.

[ALSO READ:In Their Own Words: Black Leaders Weigh in on Gay Rights]

In addition to the numbers, the poll also found some interesting information about the LGBT community.

"Contemporary media often think of LGBT people as disproportionately white, male, urban and pretty wealthy," said demographer Gary Gates, the report's lead author. "But this data reveal that relative to the general population, the LGBT population has a larger proportion of nonwhite people and clearly is not overly wealthy."

[ALSO READ:Obama Campaign Courts Gay Vote at Gay Pride Weekend]

The survey was conducted between June and September. It found 4 percent of Hispanics, 4.3 percent of Asians and 3.2 percent of whites who consider themselves part of the LGBT community. Overall, a third of those identifying as LGBT are nonwhite, the report said

Obama's Approval Ratings Increase After Convention

Gallup poll shows POTUS approval ratings increase after DNC

The DNC started with a bang, and ended with the same momentum as the approval ratings for President Obama have surged in the aftermath of the Democratic National Convention.  According to Gallup, Obama’s approval ratings went from 45 percent to 52 percent in three days—the highest Gallup tracking poll percentage reported for Obama since May 2011, just after the killing of Osama bin Laden. Results released Friday also show a favorable growth for Obama in Gallup’s tracking of the presidential vote preference question. Obama currently has a 3-point lead over Republican nominee Mitt Romney (48 to 45 percent). Until now, numbers shown Obama ahead of Romney by a single percent point (47 to 46 percent). Gallup’s poll numbers are based on interviews conducted with roughly 1,500 adults during the DNC. (Gallup)

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