A new study from the Pew Research Center shed light on what brings meaning to the lives of people around the world and found that Americans weigh their careers less heavily than other nations, according to the report published Nov. 18.
The researchers asked nearly 19,000 adults across 17 countries with advanced economies about which aspects of their lives they find meaningful.
Across the 17 publics, a median of 25 percent of people surveyed mentioned their occupation or career as a source of meaning in their lives. In the U.S., 17 percent of respondents mentioned work in response to the question, ahead of only Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. Wealthier people also reported work as a factor in the meaning of their lives more frequently than poorer people. In the U.S., 12 percent of lower-income individuals reported work as a source of meaning, compared to 24 percent of higher-income earners.
The same pattern occurred regarding higher education, with a quarter of U.S. college graduates reporting work as a source of meaning in their lives compared to 11 percent of less-educated adults.
Among other findings, family was the most commonly cited factor of meaning for people. A median of 17 percent of respondents stated physical and mental health gives them meaning in life. In the U.S., this figure lay at 11 percent.