• Mature Women cohort
• Young Women cohort

Mature Women cohort

During most survey years, respondents rated how they felt about their jobs on a scale from "like it very much" to "dislike it very much." For the early survey years, the question pertained only to the current job, thus restricting the universe to those respondents who reported working during the survey week. For the 1982 and 1987-92 interviews, the question was asked about the current or the most recent job, thereby expanding the universe to include respondents reporting work since the date of last interview. In 1995-2003, respondents were asked this question in reference to all jobs since their last interview. Following this global satisfaction question, most surveys elicited information on the specific factors that the respondent liked and disliked about the job. Global job satisfaction information is available for all survey years except 1968, 1974, and 1976.

Data comparing the respondent's attitude toward her current job with her attitude toward her job in a previous survey year were collected during some of the early years of the survey. In addition, respondents were asked in select survey years whether a higher wage or liking the job was more important toward motivating them to work. Consult MW1 for availability by survey year and reference numbers.

During the 1992 survey, respondents were asked a series of questions about the effort and concentration level required by their current or last job. In addition, the women agreed or disagreed with a series of statements about the satisfaction and importance of their jobs/work. The reference numbers for these questions are R10188.00-R10197.00.

Reference

Andrisani, Paul J.; Appelbaum, Eileen; Koppel, Ross; and Miljus, Robert C. Work Attitudes and Labor Market Experience: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Surveys. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1978.

Young Women cohort

Global job satisfaction

During all surveys except 1975 and 1977, respondents rated how they felt about their current/last job (all jobs in 1995-2003) on a scale from "like it very much" to "dislike it very much." In most of these years, respondents also listed specific factors about their jobs that they liked and disliked. In addition, data comparing respondents' attitudes toward their current jobs with their attitudes toward their jobs in a previous survey year were collected during certain early years of the survey. In 1970, 1972, 1978, 1980, and 1988, respondents answered a question intended to capture their commitment to working. Respondents stated whether they would continue to work if they had enough money to live comfortably without working; in all years except 1988, they also gave a reason for their response. Finally, the 1968 original survey asked respondents about their motivation to work (R00321.00). Table YW1 provides reference numbers for regularly asked job satisfaction items.

Facet-specific job satisfaction scale

During the 1980 survey, employed respondents (wage and salary workers or self-employed respondents) were asked to rate a series of descriptive statements, on a scale from "very true" to "not at all true." These job satisfaction statements covered pay, working conditions, chances for promotion, job security, competence of the supervisor, and the friendliness of their coworkers. The variable titles include the phrase "Job Satisfaction Index" and their reference numbers are R07195.00-R07209.00 and R07219.00-R07227.00.

Users can construct a job satisfaction index by coupling: (1) the global job satisfaction measures described above, (2) select items from the facet-specific job satisfaction ratings, and (3) responses to the commitment to work question. Table YW2 presents the years in which these components are available.

Reference

Andrisani, Paul J.; Appelbaum, Eileen; Koppel, Ross; and Miljus, Robert C. Work Attitudes and Labor Market Experience: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Surveys. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1978.