UK job satisfaction hits record low in British Social Attitudes survey, Resolution Foundation finds
A Resolution Foundation analysis of the 2025 British Social Attitudes survey finds 74% of UK workers are satisfied with their job, the lowest since 1989. Outlets differ on emphasis: the Daily Mail on falling male desire for full-time work, the Guardian on pay and flexibility.
1 / 2
The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Job satisfaction among UK workers has fallen to a record low: 74% said they were satisfied at work in the 2025 British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey, down from 81% in 2015 and the lowest in any wave since 1989. Daily MailR “just under three quarters (74 per cent) of people polled reported being satisfied in their work.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ The GuardianLC “Job satisfaction fell from 81% in 2015 to 74%, the lowest figure recorded in the British Social Attitudes survey since 1989” Read at The Guardian ↗ Right · 1The survey covered 4,656 people aged 16 and over across the UK between the end of August and early October, and the Resolution Foundation think tank analysed the results. Daily MailR “Some 4,656 people aged 16 and older were surveyed across the UK between the end of August and early October for the 2025 survey” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Mixed · 2Fewer workers now say their job is interesting (63%, down from 74% in 2015), and fewer report opportunities for advancement (26%, down from 35%). Daily MailR “had an interesting job (63 per cent down from 74 per cent)” Read at Daily Mail ↗ The GuardianLC “The proportion saying they have an interesting job fell over the decade from 74% to 63%.” Read at The Guardian ↗
Mixed · 2The share of workers willing to work harder than required to help their employer succeed fell from 69% to 55%. Daily MailR “willing to work harder than required to help their employer succeed (55 per cent down from 69 per cent)” Read at Daily Mail ↗ The GuardianLC “fell from 69% in 2015 to 55% in 2025” Read at The Guardian ↗ Right · 1Flexibility has become more important: 61% of workers say it matters that they can decide their own hours, up from 46% in 2015, but only 31% say they can do so in their current job. The research found 16% of workers fully remote and 34% hybrid. Daily MailR “six in 10 (61 per cent) workers feeling it was important they could decide their own working hours in a job, up from 46 per cent in 2015.”“16 per cent of workers reported being fully remote and 34 per cent a mix of both work and home” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Right · 1The share of working-age adults who want to work full-time fell from 57% in 2015 to 47% in 2025, even as the share actually in full-time work rose from 57% to 60%. The report says the fall was entirely driven by men: 62% of men wanted full-time work, down from 77%, with a 19-point fall among men aged 30 to 49 (86% to 67%), while women were broadly unchanged at 38%. Daily MailR “the percentage of working-age adults who want to do so has dropped from 57 per cent in 2015 to 47 per cent in 2025.”“Fewer than two thirds (62 per cent) of this group said they wanted to work full-time, down from 77 per cent in 2015.” Read at Daily Mail ↗
Left · 1Resolution Foundation economist Hannah Slaughter said low pay concerns spanned all pay scales, and that workers want flexibility, independence and financial security but feel those expectations are unmet. She warned the "dissatisfaction drain" does not bode well for productivity and labour supply. The GuardianLC ““Workers increasingly want jobs that provide flexibility, independence and financial security. But many feel those expectations are not being met,” said Slaughter.”“this concern spanned all the pay scales.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Right · 1On the drop in men's appetite for full-time work, Slaughter said more research is needed, citing possible effects of the pandemic on work-life balance, health problems and caring responsibilities, and said she would want to know more before jumping to "work shy". Daily MailR “I would certainly want to know more about what exactly was driving it before jumping to "work shy"” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Left · 1The Guardian adds that Ipsos polling found 69% of workers very or fairly satisfied in 2026 against 83% in 1976. John Curtice, co-editor of the BSA report, said young people have not become more work-shy nor workers more reluctant to change jobs, and that employers need to offer financially rewarding jobs with flexible hours to keep workers engaged. The GuardianLC “In 1976 it found 83% were very or fairly satisfied with their work compared with 69% in 2026.”“the findings showed young people had not become more work-shy” Read at The Guardian ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Guardian leads on workers' frustration with employers over pay, insecurity and lack of flexible working, and the implications for productivity.
- Emphasis
- Pay, flexibility, insecure jobs, productivity and labour supply; Ipsos long-run polling; Curtice rejecting the 'work-shy' idea.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the male-specific fall in desire for full-time work or hybrid/remote shares.
- Charged language
- “dissatisfaction drain”“record low”
- For example
-
“a lack of flexible working, insecure jobs and a loss of independence have undermined how workers feel about their employment.” — The Guardian
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Daily Mail opens with a personal hook ('Do you hate your job?') and ties the record low to a dramatic fall in men's desire for full-time work.
- Emphasis
- Gender breakdown of full-time preferences, survey sample size, flexibility figures; includes Slaughter's caution about 'work shy'.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention pay concerns, productivity implications, Ipsos data or Curtice's comments.
- Charged language
- “plunged”“dramatic fall”“Hate your job?”
- For example
-
“Job satisfaction has plunged to record lows amid a dramatic fall in men's desire for full-time work.” — Daily Mail
What every side reports
- Job satisfaction was 74% in the 2025 BSA survey, down from 81% in 2015, the lowest since 1989.
- Willingness to work harder than required fell from 69% to 55%.
- Share saying their job is interesting fell from 74% to 63%.
- Hannah Slaughter of the Resolution Foundation commented on the findings.
Where accounts differ
-
What drives the story
- Left
- Pay, insecurity and lack of flexibility are behind falling satisfaction.
- Right
- Headline cause framed around a fall in men's desire for full-time work, though reasons are said to be unclear.
Resolution Foundation organisation
Says unmet expectations on flexibility, independence and financial security are driving frustration, with risks for productivity and labour supply; cautions that reasons for men's falling full-time preference need more research.
“This ‘dissatisfaction drain’ is self-evidently bad for workers, but it also doesn’t bode well for productivity and labour supply” — The Guardian
“said further research is needed as to the reasons for the drop.” — Daily Mail
Left1 article
-
UK job satisfaction at record low amid rising frustration over pay and flexible working
Sympathetic Presents falling satisfaction as workers' justified frustration over pay and flexibility, with productivity warnings.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
-
Hate your job? You're not alone - job satisfaction is lowest it's been
Mixed Chatty, consumer-style piece linking low satisfaction to men's falling appetite for full-time work, with a researcher's caveat against calling it 'work shy'.
- 3 Nov 02:18 First Daily MailR Hate your job? You're not alone - job satisfaction is lowest it's been
- 3 Nov 05:00 +2h 42m The GuardianLC UK job satisfaction at record low amid rising frustration over pay and flexible working
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
Ask about this story
Loading…