An empirical study of contemporary beliefs about work in American society

Abstract

The underlying concepts or beliefs people hold about work were studied by first developing a conceptual framework consisting of 5 different belief systems. The framework was operationalized by developing a questionnaire that used individual belief statements as items in a 5-point, Likert-type format. Ss surveyed were 340 blue-collar and white-collar workers from the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area and 72 union leaders and 366 top managers from the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, area. Subsequent multivariate analyses revealed that differences in beliefs existed in relation to job or position, age, sex, race, and education. Top management was not in favor of participative management structures; young people were more work ethic oriented than other age groups. Females and Blacks showed strong feelings of being exploited. Education was related to a weakened commitment to traditional beliefs and to the organization. (33 ref) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)