Got happy employees? If so, perhaps that's because you're paying them well. A new Gallup Poll report bolsters the notion that while money can't buy happiness, it certainly doesn't hurt.
The report, which focused on how personally satisfied and happy Americans are with their lives, included statistics on "Personal Satisfaction and Happiness by Household Income." It broke respondents into categories of having an income of less than $30,000 per year, $30,000-$74,999 per year, and $75,000 or more per year.
It found that less than half (42 percent) of those polled who were making less than $30,000 reported to be "very satisfied" with their own personal lives, compared to nearly three-quarters (74 percent) making over $75,000. Just over half (54 percent) of those making between $30,000 and $74,999 reported that they were very satisfied with their personal lives.
In contrast, over 1 in 4 of those polled who were making less than $30,000 were either "somewhat dissatisfied" (16 percent) or "very dissatisfied" (11 percent) with their personal lives, while just 4 percent of those making over $75,000 reported being either somewhat (3 percent) or very (1 percent) dissatisfied.
In terms of "personal happiness," 40 percent of those making under $30,000 reported being "very happy," compared with 50 percent of those making between $30,000 and $74,999 and 64 percent of those making over $75,000. Only 2 percent of those making over $75,000 reported being "Not too happy." This figure rose to 5 percent among those making between $30,000 and $74,999 and to 11 percent among those making under $30,000.
Overall findings of the Gallup Poll conducted in December 2007 among over 1,000 adults, found that 84 percent of Americans were satisfied with the way things were going in their personal lives, and 14 percent were dissatisfied. Meanwhile, 52 percent of poll respondents said that they were "very happy," 40 perent said they were "fairly happy," and just 6 reported that they were "not too happy."
