Penghu County Magistrate Chen Kuang-fu (陳光復, first left), Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅, second left), Hualien County Magistrate Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁, second right) and Taipei Deputy Mayor Teng Chia-ji (鄧家基, first right)

Taipei, Sept. 20 (CNA) Hsinchu remains the happiest city in Taiwan for the second consecutive year, based on the approval rating of its residents and objective factors such as level of education and income, according to a survey released Wednesday

The national happiness index of Hsinchu City was 76.2, the highest among all the cities and counties surveyed and the also the highest ever recorded in the annual survey, which was conducted jointly by Economic Daily News and Nan Shan Life Insurance Co.

Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) said at a press conference that the relatively young city has a high birth rate and the highest spending in the country, while its residents enjoy the highest average income and level of education.

The survey, which has been conducted every year since 2012, takes into consideration the approval rating of residents of the various municipalities and more objective factors such as education, jobs, housing, and income.

In the 2017 rankings, Penghu County was No. 2 for the second straight year, with a national index of 60.4.

At Wednesday's press conference, Penghu County Magistrate Chen Kuang-fu (陳光復) said Penghu is a livable county that has seen an increase of 1,800 returning citizens over the past two years.

Hualien County was ranked third, while Taipei jumped from 11th last year to fourth this year with a national happiness index of 59.3.

Kaohsiung City fell four notches from last year to 13th, while Tainan City dropped two places to 14th.

According to the Economic Daily News, some 22,000 people across Taiwan were polled in the approval rating part of the survey.

(By Tsai Yi-chu and William Yen)
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