Survey Says...

"Most people don't manage their time very effectively": 91%
"People think they need more money or material stuff than they do": 90%
"Juggling satisfying work with a satisfying personal life is tough": 88%
"In order to compete, people have to work as hard as possible": 84%
"Success is increasingly about more than making money": 83%
"Working women's concerns are getting more attention": 79%
"Talk of 'balance' is a '90s way for people to show that their lives are full": 75%

Being really honest with yourself, indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the following. (Percentages indicate how many people said that they "agree completely" or "agree somewhat" with each statement.)

"I don't want to have to make trade-offs at work or at home": 71%
"I am making the necessary trade-offs to get balance in my life": 69%
"I am working extra-hard right now to try and get somewhere": 68%
"It feels good to be as busy as I am now": 63%
"I could be more efficient at work": 63%
"My peers and friends work long hours": 60%
"I like to be known for working long and hard": 58%
"I'm not willing to give up money or material things": 54%
"I'd drive an old car or live in a small home in exchange for more free time": 52%
"I am not in control of how many hours I work": 49%
"I feel more in control at work than I do in my personal life": 41%
"Working is more exciting than being at home": 30%
"I don't feel I've worked hard enough if I work only eight hours in a day": 24%
"I work long hours to avoid dealing with my personal life": 14%

Pat has a chance to join a startup company. The job would be very similar to Pat's current job, and the pay would be the same. Pat currently works late or on weekends a couple of times a month. The money is okay, but Pat will not get rich in the current job. The new job would mean regularly working 10-to-12-hour days for several years. If the startup is successful and goes public, there is a really good chance that Pat will receive a huge windfall in stocks and options. If you were Pat, would you:

Switch to the job at the startup company? 59%
Stay with the current job? 25%
Not sure 7%

What if Pat's spouse or significant other also worked and if the couple had two young kids at home? If Pat took the new job, would you think that Pat was:

Losing sight of what's important?: 43%
Taking advantage of a great opportunity?: 41%
Not sure: 16%

Men and women differ significantly in how they answered both parts of this hypothetical question. Men are more apt to see the new job as an opportunity in the first place: 62% of men said that Pat should switch jobs, compared with 55% of women. With the introduction of Pat's working spouse and kids, a similar male-female disparity is evident: 47% of women said that Pat was "losing sight of what's important," compared with 40% of men; 46% of men said that Pat was "taking advantage of a great opportunity," compared with 35% of women.

The Johnsons both work at jobs that they love. These jobs require long hours and lots of travel, but they pay very well. The couple can afford full-time child care, tuition at private schools, a great house, a house-cleaning service, new cars every few years, a nice dinner out every week, and wonderful family trips on holidays. The Johnsons are not always home by the time their kids go to bed, and their time together happens mainly on weekends. Which one of the following statements comes closest to your view of the life that the Johnsons are living?

"This is the kind of lifestyle that society pressures us to pursue": 59%
"This is the kind of lifestyle that our employers pressure us to pursue": 18%
"This is the kind of lifestyle that I personally want": 8%
Not sure: 15%

Do you consider each of the following to be more a fruit of success or more a sign of excess?

Having a vacation home
Sucess: 73%
Excess: 25%

Flying your family to Vail for a ski vacation
Sucess: 68%
Excess: 29%

Flying overseas for a vacation every year
Sucess: 57%
Excess: 40%

Driving a BMW, a Lexus, or a similar car
Sucess: 54%
Excess: 43%

Having a home theater
Sucess: 51%
Excess: 45%

Living in a house worth $500,000 or more
Sucess: 51%
Excess: 47%

Paying someone to do all of your housework
Sucess: 48%
Excess: 49%

Eating at a fine restaurant several nights a week
Sucess: 44%
Excess: 52%

Having full-time live-in child care
Sucess: 35%
Excess: 58%

Having cell-phones or beepers for both parents and kids
Sucess: 24%
Excess: 71%

Spending $2,000 on clothes in one day
Sucess: 22%
Excess: 75%

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