WASHINGTON – Like a majority of Americans, nurse Peggy Branan feels her job is satisfying and that she is paid fairly. Many workers express concern about job stress, retirement benefits and health care, according to a new poll, but Branan is not one of them.
“I feel blessed to be able to get paid for what I enjoy doing,” said Branan, a nurse for 21 years. “I’m very active in my church. My role as a nurse is a way to fulfill my role as a Catholic.”
The Associated Press poll on public attitudes about work found that most workers in the United States were at least fairly satisfied with their jobs. A sizable number said they were unhappy with the stress level, health care and retirement benefits of their jobs.
Seven in 10 surveyed said they are paid fairly. Men were more likely than women to feel this way.
As people celebrate Labor Day this weekend, about half of the workers surveyed say they find their job very satisfying, and four in 10 rated it somewhat satisfying, according to the poll.
One of the most frequent complaints was the growing amount of stress at work. In the poll, 34 percent said they were dissatisfied with the amount of stress. Other leading complaints included opportunities advancement as well as health and retirement benefits.
Adults age 18 to 29 were most likely to say their job was something they mainly do to earn money. People over 30 were more likely to say they were very satisfied with their jobs.
Those most likely to say they were very satisfied were white, married, college-educated, homeowners and Republicans.
The poll found that 42 percent said their jobs were interesting nearly all of the time. One-half of those surveyed said their job is interesting most of the time but has dull stretches.
Women were more likely than men to say their jobs were interesting nearly all the time.
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