Labor Day Study of Attitudes Toward Work & Leisure

Unhappy with your job? You may be surprised to find that you are in the minority of U.S. workers, who typically express a high level of satisfaction with their jobs. With Labor Day serving as a natural time to assess the state of the American worker, the American Enterprise Institute has released a compilation of hundreds of poll questions that have been asked about how workers view their jobs since the 1930s.

Highlights of recently conducted polls show:

Work satisfaction is high. Only small proportions (usually less than 10 percent) tell pollsters they are very dissatisfied with their jobs. There has been little change in these responses over the past quarter century. (Gallup/Harris/Roper/National Opinion Research Center)

Solid majorities of workers tell pollsters they would take the same job again "without hesitation." (Univ. of Michigan/Harris)

Huge majorities (85 percent/Gallup, 2004) say they have a strong sense of loyalty to the company they work for. This has changed little in the last decade. Smaller, but still robust majorities say the company they work for has a strong sense of loyalty to them (67 percent).

As for the work load, most workers tell the pollsters they are satisfied. In Gallup's latest question, 86 percent of workers are satisfied with the amount of work required of them and 19 percent are dissatisfied. As for vacation time, 79 percent are satisfied with the amount they have, and 17 percent dissatisfied (2004).

Stress is over-stressed. Twenty-seven percent of workers are completely satisfied with "the amount of on the job stress," and 37 percent are somewhat satisfied (2004).

Workers are happiest with their coworkers. (Gallup/Roper/NBC,WSJ) They are least happy with the amount of money they earn.

As for today's economy, in most polls, around 20 percent of workers fear being laid off "in the near future." Around 80 percent do not. More than 80 percent of workers are not worried that their hours or, separately, wages, will be cut (Gallup, 2004). About 90 percent are not worried that their company will move jobs overseas (Gallup, 2004).

A third say it's a good time to find a quality job, and 63 percent a bad time (Gallup, 2004). Twenty-six percent say their employer has laid off someone in the past six months.

Today, a quarter of workers say their job "never" requires them to be in an office; 40 percent say it "always" does.

[Source: American Enterprise Institute]