The General Social Survey conducted by the National Opinion Research
Center at the University of Chicago asked a variety of questions
of a representative sample of Americans in face-to-face interviews.
They asked people how satisfied they were with their jobs and
their general level of happiness. They then correlated those general
happiness findings with the jobs people held. The research found
that people's feelings about their work usually have a significant
impact on their happiness.
The top three jobs for satisfaction were clergy (87 percent reporting
being very satisfied), firefighters (80 percent) and physical
therapists (78 percent). On the happiness scale, clergy were also
on top, with 67 percent very happy. Firefighters were again second
on the list, with 57 percent very happy. Across all occupations,
on average, 47 percent of people said they were very satisfied
with their jobs and 33 percent said they were very happy.
It is also noted that a number of very high prestige occupations
do not finish at the top of the list. Both physicians and lawyers
are the first and second, respectively, overall in prestige and
scored well above average in both job satisfaction and general
happiness, but neither ranked in the top 12 of these measures.
The survey is the most comprehensive of its kind to explore satisfaction
and happiness among American workers.
Top and bottom 12 occupations in terms of job satisfaction and
general happiness are shown in the following two tables. Please
note that the rankings of both job satisfaction and general happiness
are based on the mean score (not shown here) which best reflects
the overall position of an occupation since it takes into consideration
all responses. The % very satisfied is a more limited measure
and has more intuitive meaning, but does not perfectly follow
the overall mean score.
Job Satisfaction
The most satisfying jobs are mostly professions, especially those
involving caring for, teaching, and protecting others and creative
pursuits. The least satisfying jobs are mostly low skill, manual
and service occupations, especially involving service and food/beverage
preparation and serving.
Top Occupations in Job Satisfaction
Bottom Occupations in Job Satisfaction
Occupations
% Very Satisfied
Occupations
% Very Satisfied
1. Clergy
87.2
1. Roofers
25.3
2. Physical Therapists
78.1
2. Waiters/Servers
27.0
3. Firefighters
80.1
3. Laborers
21.4
4. Education Administrators
68.4
4. Bartenders
25.8
5. Painter
67.3
5. Hand Packers and Packagers
23.7
6. Teachers
69.2
6. Freight Stock & Material Handlers
21.4
7. Authors
74.2
7. Apparel Clothing Salespersons
23.9
8. Psychologists
66.9
8. Cashiers
25.0
9. Special Education Teachers
70.1
9. Food Preparers
23.6
10. Operating Engineers
64.1
10. Expediters
37.0
11. Office Supervisors
60.8
11. Butchers & Meat Cutters
31.8
12. Security & Financial Services Salespersons
65.4
12. Furniture/Home Furnishing Salespersons
25.2
General Happiness
Unlike job satisfaction, general happiness does not explicitly
refer to work and occupations. Most of the occupations ranking
high in general happiness are professions involving helping others,
technical and scientific expertise, or creativity. In this category,
the happiest people are clergy and firefighters, who ranked as
number 1 and 2, respectively.
Top Occupations in General Happiness
Bottom Occupations in General Happiness
Occupations
% Very Happy
Occupations
% Very Happy
1. Clergy
67.2
1. Garage & Service Station Attendants
13.2
2. Firefighters
57.2
2. Roofers
14.2
3. Transportation Ticket & Reservation
Agents
56.5
3. Molding & Casting Machine Operators
11.1
4. Architects
53.5
4. Construction Laborers
18.8
5. Special Education Teachers
52.6
5. Construction Trades Misc.
22.1
6. Actors & Directors
51
6. Welfare Service Aides
18.4
7. Science Technicians
51
7. Amusement & Recreation Attendants
15.7
8. Mechanics & Repairers Misc
53.6
8. Maids & Housemen
22.8
9. Industrial Engineers
48.4
9. Pressing Machine Operators
23.5
10. Airline Pilots & Navigators
49.1
10. Electronic Repairers 2.00
15.7
11. Hardware/Building Supplies
Salesperson
55.9
11. Kitchen Workers, Food Preparations
20.8
12. Housekeepers & Butlers
57.7
12. Machine Operators Misc.
17.3
Source: Job satisfaction in the United States, Tom W. Smith,
NORC/University of Chicago, April, 2007
