As our state legislature heads into the home stretch of the 2024 session over the next month with lots of items still to be scrutinized, tweaked, or abandoned, now might be an appropriate time to reflect back seven months ago when a WalletHub.com survey ranked the “Happiest States in the U.S.A.” (https://wallethub.com/edu/happiest-states/6959)… because decisions made this month at the Hawai`i State Capitol will invariably affect local people’s happiness levels to some degree, including their willingness to stay and play in Hawai`i, as we’ve highlighted before in relation to the emigration crisis we’re in the midst of.
In autumn, 2023, Hawai`i ranked as the nation’s second-happiest state, right behind Utah. Interesting to note (perhaps) that Utah has been the reddest state (33 straight years of Republican party rule in the governor’s office plus state House + Senate), while Hawai`i has been America’s bluest state over the past 33 years in those three legislative areas (only the eight-year Linda Lingle gubernatorial reign interrupted the blue monopoly here). Social analysts can dissect and discern if steady, one-party rule tends to enhance voter/citizen happiness, but there you have it- one very red and one very blue state lead the happiness hunt.
Emotional & Physical Well-Being, Work Environment, and Community & Environment were the three broad categories used by the WalletHub survey takers and while the Aloha State ranked #1 in Emotional & Physical Well-Being, we only ranked #25 in Work Environment and #30 in Community & Environment.
Hawai`i (believe it or not) has the lowest, national share of Adult Depression, but that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable here, and that figure doesn’t include on-going concerns about teens/kids mental health post-COVID isolation. Hawai`i also ranked #49 in Adequate-Sleep Rate, as has been mentioned before, plus we’re a disappointing 45th in Volunteer rate, maybe because everyone’s working extra jobs/hours, is sleep-deprived, and/or simply doesn’t have the physical/mental bandwidth; or maybe pot luck preparation after soccer games doesn’t count here as official “volunteering”…
The statistics go on and on, they’ve been quoted before, but there is surely a vital correlation between our collective happiness quotient and the ripple effects that come from decisions made (or not made) by locally-elected officials every year. We need more sleep, but we must also wake up, get involved, create community action hui, provide feedback, vote, and thus make our collective voices heard before the zany, annual legislative session unfolds.
Think about it…