If you thought that a college education was supposed to prepare you to be a hard-working, engaged employee, think again.
A Gallup poll released Thursday found that Americans with at least a Bachelor’s degree are actually slightly less likely to be as involved or enthusiastic about their job than someone with a high school diploma or less.
According to the study, 28.3 percent of those with a Bachelor’s degree and 30.1 percent of those with a postgraduate degree were engaged at work – compared to the 32.7 percent reported by those with only a high school degree or less.
Overall, only about 30 percent of all Americans are actually engaged at their jobs.
What seems to be the blame for the apathetic attitudes among American workers then? Gallup reports that there was a correlation between the respondents’ poor workforce engagements and their being less likely to strongly agree with the statement “at work I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.”
The poll also found that one’s position at their job plays a large role in how much they engage in the workforce, regardless of their educational level, as those with managerial positions are more likely to be involved in their work than lower-ranking employees.
According to Gallup, the lack of engagement among American workers can have major implications for the nation’s economy, noting that the economy may see less growth as a result of the lack of motivation.
Among younger Americans, the indifference could also come from the fact that only 27 percent of college graduates have jobs that are closely related to their majors.
Gallup surveyed 151,284 adults nationwide from January to December 2012. The maximum margin of error for the study is +/- 1 percentage point.
