Politics · State & local government · published 2026-10-14 · via The Garden Island

Senate leader pushes economic opportunity after well-being report

A Hawaii Senate committee chair responded to a new statewide well-being survey by calling for broader economic opportunities and workforce development. The 2026 dashboard, released Oct. 12 by a University of Hawaii research institute and the governor's Office of Wellness and Resilience, drew on more than 10,000 resident responses. It found gains in health and life satisfaction while pointing to continuing cost-of-living concerns.

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The 2026 dashboard was issued Oct. 12 by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Social Science Research Institute Health Policy Initiative, working with the governor’s Office of Wellness and Resilience. It draws on over 10,000 resident responses and marks the survey’s second round, funded by Act 106, a 2024 law championed by Sen. Donovan M. Dela Cruz, who chairs Ways and Means.

Findings show better health and life-satisfaction scores, yet cost pressures persist. Forty-six percent thought about leaving Hawaiʻi in the past year, up from 40% in 2024. Among households earning $25,000–$49,000, 52% had considered moving; 27% of households under $25,000 faced food insecurity. Younger adults reported more days of poor

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