A survey released yesterday says Penghu County scored the highest this year in a happiness index, with high levels of life satisfaction.

The survey, conducted by the Chinese-language Economic Daily News and NanShan Life Insurance, is based on the Better Life Index of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The index, which surveyed 22 counties and cities in Taiwan, considers a range of variables, and half of the index score consists of survey results and official data.

Penghu scored 68.7 on the index’s 100-point scale, driven by strong levels of life satisfaction, a low crime rate and high savings.

Next on the ratings, were Hsinchu County and Miaoli County. Yunlin County performed most poorly on the index with a score of 25.8.

Taipei rankings fell the most, dropping seven places to ninth, placing highest on quality of life, but pulled down by discontent on variables such as housing conditions and work/life balance.

 

image via Aikawa Ke