CBS News Poll: Are Americans satisfied on the job?
As Labor Day approaches, most working Americans report they are satisfied with their jobs.
According to a CBS News poll, nine in 10 Americans who are either employed full- or part-time say they are at least somewhat satisfied, including a majority of 53 percent who say they are very satisfied.
Ten percent say they are not very or not at all satisfied.
Working Americans express satisfaction with their jobs across the board, though workers age 50 and above are a little more likely than those under 50 to say they are very satisfied (61 percent vs. 50 percent). Younger workers were more likely than their older counterparts to say they were only somewhat satisfied (38 percent vs. 33 percent), or not very or not at all satisfied (11 percent vs. 7 percent).
Those earning $100,000 a year or more are also a little more likely to say they are very satisfied with their job - a different of 59 percent vs. 51 percent.
But salary isn't the most important factor when it comes to job satisfaction. More than half of working Americans say it's the people they work with that is most important (52 percent) - twice as many who say their salary comes first (26 percent). Just 13 percent say their schedule and vacation time is the most important factor, and just 8 percent cite their employee benefits.
A large majority of working Americans also feel appreciated at work: 82 percent say they generally feel appreciated, though workers over 50 and those earning $100,000 a year or more are more likely to feel appreciated.
A vast majority of working Americans - 87 percent - agree that employee happiness contributes a lot to how productive an employee is at their job.
This poll was conducted by telephone August 20-24, 2014 among 1,019 adults nationwide and 538 adults who are employed either full or part-time. Data collection was conducted on behalf of CBS News by SSRS of Media, Pa. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error due to sampling for results based on employed Americans could be plus or minus four percentage points. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.