Psychology of the Scientist: LXIV. Work-Related Attitudes of U.S. Scientists

It is logical to think that doing important, meaningful work contributes to job satisfaction. In contrast to all other professional workers, however, evidence from nationwide surveys shows that scientists are more likely to prefer important, meaningful work but are less satisfied in their jobs. This suggests that various factors in the work environment of U.S. scientists somehow may prevent them from achieving the satisfaction they desire in their jobs. This paper speculates about the nature of some of these factors.