The nation’s largest and most northern state scored highest in the 2014 Gallup-Healthways’ annual survey of well-being, with a score of 64.7 out of 100. Alaska has previously ranked among the top 10 happiest states, but this is the first year it has been the winner since the survey began in 2008.
蓋洛普2014年幸福指數調查顯示，全美最大以及最北邊的州取得了最高分64.7(總分為100)。阿拉斯加一直被列為全美最幸福的10個州之一。自2008年蓋洛普調查發布以來，這是其首次位列第一 。
In second place was Hawaii, which held the top spot from 2009 to 2012, but in 2013 came in eighth. The winner in 2013, North Dakota, saw a dramatic drop in its ranking, coming in 23rd in 2014. This drop was mostly due to a decline in North Dakotans’ evaluation of their lives overall, and also an increase in unhealthy behaviors among the population, such as higher smoking rates and less exercise, compared with 2013, Gallup said.
排名第二的夏威夷壟斷了2009年至2012年的第一，但在2013年跌至第8。去年排第一的內達科他州，今年出乎意料般的跌至23。蓋洛普報告表示， 內達科他州的這種情況主要源自居民生活方式的變化，例如和2013年相比更高的吸煙率，更少的體育鍛煉。
The rankings are based on interviews with more than 176,000 U.S. adults in all 50 states. The researchers calculated a well-being score for each state, based on participants’ answers to questions about different aspects of well-being, such as their sense of purpose, social relationships, financial lives, community involvement and physical health.
該調查也基于針對美國50個州176，000名成人的訪談。研究者根據受訪者的回答計算出幸福指數。問題涵蓋了諸多方面，例如他們的目標感，社團關系，財務狀況，社區參與度和生理健康。
States in the Northern Plains and Mountain West tended to have higher well-being scores than states in the South and Midwest. Kentucky and West Virginia came in at the bottom of the rankings for the sixth year in a row, Gallup said.
根據蓋洛普報告，和南部以及中西部的州相比，北部平原地區和西部山區的州更有可能取得更高分。肯塔基州和西弗吉尼亞州連續六年來排名墊底。
A population’s well-being is important because it is closely tied to people’s health and work abilities, such as obesity rates, workplace performance and employee engagement, Gallup said.
蓋洛普報告顯示，國民的幸福感尤為重要，因為其密切關系到人民的健康和工作能力，比如肥胖率，工作表現和敬業程度。
The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index was conducted between Jan. 2 and Dec. 30, 2014, and its well-being score has a margin of error of about 0.1 percentage points.
此次蓋洛普幸福指數在2014年1月2日至12月30日期間進行，幸福指數的計算也有0.1%的誤差。
