U.S. workers who report having high-quality jobs are consistently more likely to say they feel productive, content, energized, happy, and optimistic than those with low-medium quality jobs, according to a survey commissioned by Jobs for the Future’s Workforce & Regional Economies practice. Workers with low-medium quality jobs report significantly less clarity on paths toward advancement, including which credentials lead to a quality job.

The poll was conducted by Morning Consult on August 12-13, 2023, among a sample of 2,199 adults. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, gender, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age, and race by educational attainment. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.