Individual differences in preferences for intrinsic versus extrinsic aspects of work

We examined individual differences in preferences for intrinsic versus extrinsic aspects of work among two representative national samples of males from the Ohio State University National Longitudinal Surveys: young men, aged 14 to 24, and middle-aged men, aged 45 to 59, when first interviewed in 1966. The statistical technique utilized to measure systematic preference differences was Multiple Classification Analysis, a nonlinear form of multiple regression analysis. Findings suggest that preferences are significantly related to age, occupation, class of worker, job satisfaction, educational attainment, and race. After simultaneously controlling for all explanatory variables, very little consistent evidence of preference differences was found between white-collar and blue-collar workers, rural and urban workers, or among individuals with different levels of income.