Despite Grumbling, Most Americans Say They Are Happy at Work

Newswise — Although some people may spend part of the Labor Day weekend complaining about their bosses or about job burnout, most Americans are satisfied with their jobs, a new University of Chicago study shows. The study shows that 86 percent of the people interviewed between 1972 and 2006 said they were satisfied at the jobs, with 48 percent saying they were very satisfied. Only four percent reported being very dissatisfied. These levels have remained essentially unchanged over the last four decades. The most satisfied workers were those working after age 65, those with more education, and those with higher incomes. Blacks, Hispanics, and people doing unskilled labor were the least happy. The results are reported in "Job Satisfaction in America: Trends and Socio-Demographic Correlates" by Tom W. Smith, Director of the General Social Survey at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.