“If you were to get enough money to live as comfortably as you would like for the rest of your life, would you continue to work or would you stop working?” (NRC, 1999, p. 50)
| Year | % of Americans Who Said They Would Continue to Work |
|---|---|
| 1973 | 69.1 |
| 1974 | 64.8 |
| 1976 | 69.0 |
| 1977 | 70.0 |
| 1980 | 76.9 |
| 1982 | 72.3 |
| 1984 | 76.0 |
| 1985 | 69.5 |
| 1987 | 75.4 |
| 1988 | 71.0 |
| 1989 | 72.2 |
| 1990 | 72.7 |
| 1991 | 66.9 |
| 1993 | 69.0 |
| 1994 | 65.8 |
| 1996 | 68.0 |
These data confirm that “Americans are highly committed to work as a central activity in their lives” (NRC, 1999, p. 51).
Reference
National Research Council. (1999). The changing nature of work: Implications for occupational analysis. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
