What makes consumers go to work? The Principal Financial Group put that question to 1,600 Americans last week and found that the vast majority of Americans (81 percent) have not changed their
work/life balance since the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Yet a subset of society (12 percent) indicated they now spend more time outside of work as a result, while another 8 percent said they are working
more. When asked what motivates people to work, most noted they work to provide for basic needs (79 percent) and improve their standard of living (66 percent). Other motivating factors included a
desire to save for the future (52 percent), achieve personal satisfaction from a job well-done (52 percent), and advance professionally (33 percent). Fears about job security appear to have decreased
slightly this quarter, with 47 percent of American workers ranking it their number one concern, down from 52 percent the previous quarter.
