Fewer adults see their job as a source of life's meaning, and it shows how the pandemic has changed America's relationship with work
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- A new report from the Pew Research Center looks at what Americans see as a source of life's meaning.
- Just 17% of adults surveyed cited work as a source of meaning, down from 24% in 2017.
- It shows how Americans are rethinking work, and reshaping the labor market in turn.
Among all the life changes brought by the pandemic, Americans' view of work — and how much of it they should be doing — has drastically shifted.
In fact, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center, fewer people than ever believe work is a source of the meaning of life.
Just 17% of the over 2,500 adults surveyed said their job, occupation, or career was a source of meaning. That's down from 2017 when 24% of adults surveyed said so. Instead, the most people — 49% — said family and children are the source of life's meaning, followed by 20% saying friends. In the US, 6% of respondents said that the pandemic affected how they see meaning in life.
It may be just another part of the labor market's mass reshaping due to the pandemic. For six months, Americans have been quitting at near-record highs. After all, researchers say that the pandemic has prompted reevaluations and spurred big decisions.
Americans are are especially jaded when it comes to work. Of the 17 advanced economies that Pew surveyed in 2021, the share of adults in the US to list work as a source of meaning comes in fourth from last, just ahead of South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. The US also falls below the median of 25%; Italians were the most likely to list work as a source of meaning, coming in at 43%.
That's true across income brackets: While higher-earners and those with college degrees are still more likely than other groups to list their jobs as something that brings meaning, they're now less likely to than in previous years. Still, 24% of high-income adults said that their career gives them meaning, while just 12% of low-income adults said the same. And 26% of those with college degrees cited work as a source of meaning, while 11% of their less-educated peers said the same.
The Pew study is the latest data point showing that Americans are decoupling themselves from work, something that's been intrinsic to the American identity. As organizational psychologist Anthony Klotz — who coined the term "Great Resignation" — told Insider: "In the United States, who we are as an employee and as a worker is very central to who we are as people."
But the pandemic yanked people from their offices, accelerated burnout, or, for millions of people, left them just completely jobless — forcing a removal from work. According to Klotz, that may have given Americans a chance to try out "other elements" of life more. Indeed, Americans found more meaning in nature and the outdoors, according to Pew. Interestingly, Americans also found more meaning in society, places, and institutions, but many in a negative manner — suggesting another desire to change the institutions shaping American life.
Americans also value their freedom and independence more now than in 2017, and that's seeping into work too. Look no further than the rise of antiwork, where workers vote with their feet and walk out on exploitative jobs and reconsider what, if any, role work should play in life.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/3DuOtjT
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