Monday Morning Insights

Photo of Todd
    .

    New Poll:  The Happiest People in America?  Pastors!

    Bookmark and Share

    Here are the Top 10 most gratifying jobs and the percentage of subjects who said they were very satisfied with the job:
    Clergy—87 percent percent
    Firefighters—80 percent percent
    Physical therapists—78 percent percent
    Authors—74 percent
    Special education teachers—70 percent
    Teachers—69 percent
    Education administrators—68 percent
    Painters and sculptors—67 percent
    Psychologists—67 percent
    Security and financial services salespersons—65 percent
    Operating engineers—64 percent
    Office supervisors—61 percent

    Here are the 10 least gratifying jobs, where few participants reported being very satisfied:
    Laborers, except construction—21 percent
    Apparel clothing salespersons—24 percent
    Handpackers and packagers—24 percent
    Food preparers—24 percent
    Roofers—25 percent
    Cashiers—25 percent
    Furniture and home-furnishing salespersons—25 percent
    Bartenders—26 percent
    Freight, stock and material handlers—26 percent
    Waiters and servers—27 percent

    SOURCE:  Yahoo News

    FOR DISCUSSSION: Are you buying this new poll?  I mean, I’ve seen a good share of happy pastors in my life; but also some really grumpy ones.  I’m guessing that if you even the pool out, there would be more frustrated and apathetic pastors than happy ones.  Am I wrong?  (I know many of the readers here at MMI are having the time of your life in ministry… but I wonder if that’s really the norm?) Another question… as you work with people in your church, do the lists of most and least gratified show themselves to be true?  Let’s hear it…

    OK... so guess who the happiest group of people in the US are today? Uh-huh... Pastors! That's according to a new poll by the University of Chicago. Pastors beat out Firefighters, Transportation ticket and reservation agents, and Housekeepers and butlers to make the top of the list. The least happy? Roofers. (Go figure). Here are some other interesting findings as to what professions are the most and least gratified in their work.

    Comments

    if you want a Globally Recognized Avatar (the images next to your profile) get them here. Once you sign up, they will displayed on any website that supports them.

    1. RevJeff on Thu, April 19, 2007

      Of course - Pastors are “paid” to give that answer…

    2. Jan on Thu, April 19, 2007

      LOL, my first thought was “Liars!”

    3. Chris Dillingham on Thu, April 19, 2007

      It’s interesting that the most happy are those that heal and save, while the least happy are those who just build or sell.


      Based on that, I’m thinking “doctors” didn’t make the list because they’re usually swamped with fixing wider ranges of unhealth, rather than restoring and revitalizing, like physical therapists and psychologists do.

    4. jawbone on Thu, April 19, 2007

      “What has long floppy ears, a cotton tail, and goes hop, hop hop? “ The Sunday School teacher asked her class.


      Little Johnny answered, “Jesus, but everyone knows it’s really a bunny.


      Pastors are primed to give the expected answer.  Most of us are living lives of quiet desperation.


      http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif

    5. Jan on Thu, April 19, 2007

      Well, I don’t feel that way jawbone.  But I think a lot of pastors and their families do.


      We are happiest in ministry, really and truly.


      But I know a lot of pastor’s wives that are just miserable.

    6. Leonard on Thu, April 19, 2007

      I honestly do not think that much about happiness but I certainly enjoy my life.  Might be because I married so well and genuinely like what I do and because I am a child of the king of kings.  Nah, that can’t be it, must be the shoes.

    7. dpastordan on Fri, April 20, 2007

      Really?  What denomination?  I left a meeting of ministers yesterday which would probably move the results down into the other category.

    8. Page 1 of 1 pages

      Post a Comment

    9. (will not be published)

      Remember my personal information

      Notify me of follow-up comments?

    Sponsors