Msn.com "most miserable cities" include Cincinnati, Columbus (Cleveland: 2014, violent crime)

[WRnative]

Unfortunately, Ohio dominates the "most miserable" list with Toledo, Dayton and Youngstown also on the list of the 10 most miserable cities in the U.S., with Youngstown rated as the "most miserable" city.

It's interesting that the rankings are partially based on an actual Gallup survey of residents.

<<
The 2014 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index measures the well-being of Americans in each metropolitan statistical area based on interviews conducted between January and December, 2014. This year’s index incorporated a range of metrics categorized into five essential elements of well-being: purpose, social, financial, community, and physical. Based on the well-being index, 24/7 Wall St. examined the metro areas with the highest and lowest scores.
While Gallup’s index is based in part on subjective survey measures, the respondents’ perceptions are often closely tied to objective outcomes. According to Dan Witters, research director of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, well-being is closely linked to economic indicators and societal outcomes such as median household income and violent crime.
The five elements in the Gallup Index are interwoven so that a high score in one often leads to a high score in another. Similarly, higher levels of employment in higher paying occupations lead to higher incomes. Those higher incomes generally lead to better health outcomes or at least a better assessment of one’s own health.
While money does not ensure happiness, financial security plays a major role in well-being. The poverty rate in six of the most miserable cities was higher than the national poverty rate of 15.8%. And the median household income in eight of the lowest well-being metros did not exceed the national figure. In the happiest metro areas, poverty rates tended to be far lower than the national rate, and household incomes tended to be greater than the national median.
The metro areas with the highest well-being also tended to have relatively low unemployment rates. Half of the 10 happiest metros had jobless rates lower than the national rate of 7.4% in 2013. Seven of the areas with the worst well-being had unemployment rates inline with or higher than the national rate.
Low well-being areas are bad for both employers and employees. Living without a job can lead to discouragement and poor health, which in turn can lead to more sick days and less productivity. According to Witters, economic indicators such as unemployment rates are cyclically related to well-being. “Unemployment is going to drive well-being, but poor well-being is also going to reduce the probability of employment opportunities arising in your community.”>>

The Happiest (and Most Miserable) Cities in America

http://www.gallup.com/poll/106756/ga...ing-index.aspx

http://www.well-beingindex.com/download

Did anybody see this reported in any Ohio newspapers, or is self-censorship now the norm in Ohio?

[JR_C]

Meh.

I'm pretty happy in Youngstown. Though, admittedly, it would be even better if all of those miserable people would go somewhere else.

[wills737]

I'm from Youngstown, given from one of the wealthy suburbs Canfield. I feel like there could be a lot worse places to live. I personally would take Youngstown over Toledo any day. That being said I'm currently relocating to Cleveland.

[Coseau]

There is going to be a lot more cities on the most miserable list because our government is determined to keep pursuing these free trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement that sent all our manufacturing jobs overseas. Obama was criticizing Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic Primary because Bill Clinton's support for the North American Free Trade Agreement because he said it caused Ohio a lot of jobs yet he turns around and gets the US-Columbia Free Trade Agreement passed the same way Bill Clinton got NAFTA passed - with majority Republicans support and majority Democratic opposition. Only thing keeping the US afloat is that the Dollar is the World's reserve currency . Twenty to thirty years down the road, maybe 40 at the max the Dollar will go the same way of the British pound after WWII and lose its reserve status (Suadi's Oil is not an infinite resource) you will be able add most of America to the most miserable list.

[No_Recess]

The good news for Ytown is it won't be eligible for these lists in a year or two when it finally drops out of the top 100 largest metro areas.

Currently 98th Ytown was once the 23rd largest metro in the U.S.

[FTSASN]

Toledo is such a lovely place though. So much diversity and wonderful nightlife.

[jbcmh81]

Ohio is often the whipping boy state when it comes to these dumb lists. I wouldn't pay much attention to them. Their criteria is paper thin and laughable. I was always happy in Ohio and proud to be from there.

[Cleveland_Collector]

Yay! Another stupid Internet list!

Originally Posted by WRnative

Unfortunately, Ohio dominates the "most miserable" list with Toledo, Dayton and Youngstown also on the list of the 10 most miserable cities in the U.S., with Youngstown rated as the "most miserable" city.

Because the poll was designed to have OH dominate it.

It's interesting that the rankings are partially based on an actual Gallup survey of residents.

No, it isn't interesting at all.

Did anybody see this reported in any Ohio newspapers, or is self-censorship now the norm in Ohio?

No, I didn't. And, choosing to not report idiotic Internet polls/lists as "news" is not "self-censorship." It's called proper discretion.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by Cleveland_Collector

Yay! Another stupid Internet list!



Because the poll was designed to have OH dominate it.



No, it isn't interesting at all.



No, I didn't. And, choosing to not report idiotic Internet polls/lists as "news" is not "self-censorship." It's called proper discretion.

Gallup polls typically are well done and statistically significant.

Of course, you're welcome to your opinion, but you seem to confuse your opinion with fact.

However, please explain why Gallup or msn.com would design a poll or ranking system to single out Ohio cities.

My hunch is that the malaise Gallup has identified is associated with terrible federal policies, and now Ohio policies, that progressively are dismantling Ohio and Michigan's once mighty industrial base and destroying its once highly productive middle class work force.

Unfortunately, because the well-being index is a proprietary, commercial product, we don't know specifically what it has identified, nor what explains the low scores for Ohio.

Unlike you, I do find it interesting that Columbus and Cincinnati are on the "most miserable" list. That surprised me. I suspect that Greater Cleveland may be close to being on that list, but perhaps its several significantly wealthy suburbs has kept Greater Cleveland marginally off the list. Without seeing the rankings for all 100 largest metropolitan areas, we don't know if this speculation is accurate.

What certainly is meaningful is that Gallup is selling this survey to many users who are learning some negatively pervasive information about Ohio.

Good news organizations would at least try to contact Gallup and seek an explanation for what is wrong in Ohio.

[Cleveland_Collector]

I confuse my opinion with "fact?" You do realize that their poll is actually based on specifically selected opinions, do you not?

In order to have actual statistical relevance, one would have to conduct an extremely thorough poll across all demographics in all geographically relevant areas. Do you have any idea how long that would take and how expensive that would be? Also, do you honestly believe that Youngstown is any more "miserable" than an Allentown, Gary, Benton Harbor, Flint, Yuma, Stockton, the whole of eastern KY, the majority of WV, most of Maine, the vast majority of the deep south, etc.? These polls are designed to embellish based on selectively biased data so that the data can be sold to those who wish to use it as a foundation or other supporting evidence to make a specific claim. Entering into the next major, Presidential transition portion of the election cycle in a highly important swing state, I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to present a divided, floundering Ohio.