Poll headlines don’t always tell the whole story – Sentinel and Enterprise

What is in a survey? Usually more than meets the eye.

Occasionally, these national reviews — in journalistic parlance — bury the lead, or at least gloss over details that conflict with their conclusions.

WalletHub, the personal finance site known for its category rankings related to quality of life issues, just released its list of the safest states in the country.

And as with its other reviews, including personal and financial well-being, New England states dominated the top spots, all finishing in WalletHub’s top 10 based on its criteria — personal and residential safety, financial safety, road safety, safety at work, and emergency preparedness.

Vermont again won the safest nod, followed closely by New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Utah.

Conversely, Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana comprise the least safe states.

These results mirror WalletHub’s other polls, which generally showed a sharp split between blue and red states.

In WalletHub’s estimation, Vermont stands out not only for its low crime rates, but also for its strong economy, boasting the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 2.1 percent.

The state excels in financial safety, with minimal identity theft complaints and a high percentage of residents who feel safe in their neighborhoods. Nearly 77% of Vermont parents report living in safe areas.

In addition, Vermont has the seventh-highest neighborhood watch group per capita, which can help alert law enforcement to crime or suspicious activity, the report said.

New Hampshire, the second safest state, boasts low rates of violence, including the fewest mass shootings in two years. Over 78% of residents feel they live in safe neighborhoods, benefiting from a low poverty rate and a strong job market.

New Hampshire also has the most neighborhood watch groups per capita, according to the report, and great financial security: “The state has an unemployment rate of 2.9 percent, one of the lowest in the nation, along with lower poverty rate. This has helped residents stay on top of their bills and helped them achieve the second best average credit score in the country at 748…”

Maine ranks third due to its financial stability and low crime rates, especially violent crimes.

“Maine has the second-lowest percentage of people without a bank account and also the third-lowest percentage of non-business bankruptcy filings per capita,” the report said.

“America’s safest states protect their residents from harm in a myriad of different ways, from keeping crime rates low and roads safe to strong economies and job markets that keep people from falling into dangerous financial situations,” Chip Lupo, a WalletHub. analyst, said in the announcement release.

Other packaged products:

• Rhode Island ranked 1st for fewest deaths per 100 million miles of travel. Massachusetts was No. 2. South Carolina was the worst state under this measure.

• New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut and Rhode Island took the top four spots, respectively, for having the fewest attacks per capita. New Mexico, Alaska, Arkansas and Tennessee ranked last.

• Rhode Island ranked third and Massachusetts ranked fifth for having low rates of bullying. New Hampshire came in at 45th.

• New Hampshire, South Dakota, North Dakota, Hawaii and Vermont ranked first with the lowest unemployment rates. Nevada ranked last.

• Massachusetts ranked first, Vermont third and Rhode Island fourth for having the lowest share of the uninsured population. Texas ranked last.

• For the percentage of adults with a rainy day fund, Hawaii and Delaware led the pack, followed by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. West Virginia ranked last.

• For fatal occupational accidents per total worker, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts took the top three spots. Wyoming and North Dakota were last.

Overall, WalletHub concluded that these findings highlight the importance of both individual and collective action in promoting a secure environment, reflecting the nationwide desire for increased security amid ongoing challenges.

But do these rankings tell the whole story of a state?

Top-ranked Vermont, with a “high percentage of residents who feel safe in their neighborhoods,” has been dealing with an insidious drug epidemic.

According to the New York Times, the severity of the epidemic 10 years ago determined then-Gov. Peter Shumlin to devote his entire 2014 State of the State message to what he said was a “total heroin crisis” affecting his condition.

And according to the Vermont Department of Health, opioid overdose deaths have increased nearly 500 percent in the past 10 years.

That doesn’t sound like a state worthy of the safest rank.

And the researchers overlooked the fact that Maine, which ranked third because of its low crime rates, particularly violent crimes, will once again be in mourning for the mass killings that killed 18 people in Lewiston, a tragedy that happened exactly one year? ago?

And according to Maine.gov, the state’s economy, which also received high marks, faces a major challenge from a stagnant workforce, making it very difficult to maintain a healthy business climate without enough employees to fill new jobs. work as they are created.

We’re sure we could poke other holes in the findings of this survey, which should only serve as a broad brush of each state’s strengths and weaknesses.

Or to paraphrase the lyrics from Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer” — listen to what you want to hear and ignore the rest.