New Misery Index—How Sad Is Rhode Island?

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Kalena Crafton, GoLocalProv Contributor

It’s a sad day in Rhode Island. The Ocean State feels the least amount of enjoyment in America, according to Gallup’s recent survey measuring each state’s daily enjoyment level.

Rhode Island stole the bottom spot, as the state with the lowest likelihood of feeling enjoyment the previous day, 80.4% of residents saying they experienced enjoyment the day before the survey.

The rest of New England was not far behind with relatively lower enjoyment levels, below 84%, primarily clustered in the Northeast and South, but also including Ohio. Kentucky and New Jersey were also among the least likely to experience enjoyment.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

Hawaii ranked top of the list, at 89.7%, closely followed by Wyoming and Utah. The states where enjoyment was higher than 86% were located mainly in the Midwest and West, including Hawaii and Alaska.

The Gallup poll was conducted over the phone asking if individuals had felt enjoyment during the past day. Nationally, 84.9% of Americans reported feeling enjoyment "yesterday" in 2012.

Stress Levels

According to a separate, recent Gallup poll, RI ranked as the #2 most stressed state in the country, with 46.3% of residents saying they felt stressed in the previous day. RI’s stress level remains statistically unchanged from 2011.

West Virginia took the most stressed spot, at 47.1%. Regionally, states with stress levels at or above 42% were clustered in the Northeast and Midwest.

Hawaii and Wyoming, with the highest levels of enjoyment, also boasted the lowest levels stress levels. States with the highest stress levels tended to report less daily enjoyment.

Five States Experiencing the Most Enjoyment

Hawaii: 89.7%

Wyoming: 88.8%

Utah: 88.7%

North Dakota: 87.9%

Idaho: 87.3%

Five States Experiencing the Least Enjoyment

Rhode Island: 80.4%

Kentucky: 81.3%

New Jersey: 82.0%

New York: 82.1%

West Virginia: 82.7%

Related Articles

• Rhode Island’s Sexual Health Worst In New England—New Ranking
• NEW: Rhode Island One of the Worst States For Dog Ownership
• Providence Drivers Among the Very Worst
• Providence Business Property Taxes Worst in the State
• RI has 5th Worst Business Tax Climate in the Country
• RI Rated Among Worst in Country for Government Transparency
• Rhode Island’s Biggest Storms: 75th Anniversary of Hurricane of ‘38
• NEW: RI Ranked 7th Most Liberal State in America

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.