Despite what you might hear around your office, nearly half of all Americans said they’re “very satisfied” with their jobs. But satisfaction levels vary a great deal by age and income.
In 2007, the National Opinion Center at the University of Chicago conducted an extensive survey on job satisfaction. Surprisingly, the results contained a lack of consistency that produced fodder for much debate. Here are some examples: Respondents who were –
- Satisfied with their job: 86%
- Very satisfied with their job: 48%
- Very dissatisfied with their job: 4%
- Age 65 or over satisfied with their job: 71%
- Age 29 or under satisfied with their job: 42%
- Holding “prestigious” jobs and satisfied: 57%
- Working at the lowest earning jobs and satisfied: 35%
- Earning $12,500 or less and satisfied: 40%
- Earning over $110,000 and satisfied: 68%
All the evidence indicates that most Americans are satisfied with their jobs. A surprising 48% were “very” satisfied with their positions. The above summary graphically shows the inconsistency of the results and some interesting numbers (e.g., 40% job satisfaction of people earning less than $12,500 per year). At a minimum, these results support the belief that positive job satisfaction is a combination of complex factors, many of which do not relate to compensation or other monetary benefits. The overall respondent result of almost 90% stating they were satisfied with their jobs is significant by itself.
Courtesy of Kelly Services. Click here to read the complete article. To learn more about Kelly Services, visit www.kellyservices.com.
