What Motivates Americans to Work

Majority claim to be in favor of workplace flexibility over a bigger paycheck. Meetville.com (dating app to find the right person) conducted a poll in the period from 25/7/14 to 9/30/14.

People were asked to respond to the question: “Free time or more money?” Results indicate that 40% would prefer to earn more money, while the majority (60%) agreed they would be willing to accept less for more flexibility.

The reasons to choose either money or time vary individually. Jim Hancock, a photographer and film director from Atlanta, explains why most people like him tend to opt for time: “I spent nine years working my nine-to-five wishing every day was Friday, then left my career as a mechanical designer to pursue being a photographer and filmmaker. As a result of the switch, I’ve been rich and poor, relatively speaking, but the ability to work when I want is more valuable than any financial certainty. I’ll sacrifice my stability and security because doing what you love provides its own rewards and means to success.”

The total number of 42,072 people indicated their preferences. Participants from the USA made up 46% of votes, in Canada they accounted for 5%, British respondents contributed 12% of votes, from Australia there were 7% and from other countries - 30%.

Alex Cusper, Meetville service analyst, observes: “The American people are often called "consumers". Americans are said to believe that more money equals a better life. But it seems the tendencies are changing, and there are many of those who are not caught up in materialism. In the highly competitive modern world, people are less motivated financially and lead more by ambition.”

Meetville, a leading mobile dating service, regularly conducts research among its users. Millions of people from the U.S., Canada, Britain and Australia answer hundreds of questions every month. You can find the results of the poll here. If you are interested in research on a particular topic, please contact us. Any reprint of the material should be followed by clickable links to the survey.