HILL STAFF VIEWS: Most Aides Say Their Jobs Are Good, and They Plan to Stick Around For Three or More Years
(QUICK READ) — Huge majorities of congressional aides responding to recent surveys by CNCT Capitol Pulse say their jobs are at least somewhat fulfilling and they plan to continue working on Capitol Hill for three or maybe more years.
Forty-nine percent of the respondents overall described their congressional career as “very satisfying,” with the partisan divide being all but equal at 52 percent of Democrats and 48 percent of Republican.
Interestingly, Democratic women showed the highest percentage of “very” satisfied at 60 percent. Next highest was Democratic Senate staffers and Senior GOP Policy aides, both at 57 percent, followed by 53 percent of GOP women.
The overall percentage who said “somewhat” satisfied included 37 percent of the respondents.
Among the “not” satisfied ranks came 36 percent of Democratic men and 27 percent of Democratic Senior Policy aides. The overall percentage for the nots was 14 percent.
On the CNCT Capitol Pulse survey regarding how long staffers expect to be working on the Hill, the results reflect the reality that, while working on the Hill has its distinct plusses and minuses, most of the folks who come here find the work rewarding and they want to make good use of the opportunity.
In fact, 47 percent of the respondents to the CNCT Capitol Pulse question of “how much total time do you plan to spend” on the Hill said “5 or more” years. That’s all but a career commitment to public service in the legislative branch.
Among Democratic staffers 56 percent replied five or more, while 44 percent of the Republicans indicated the same planning. The highest percentage here at 86 percent was from Democratic aides over 30, while 64 percent of GOP Senior Policy aides pointed to the five or more response.
A bit more than a third of all respondents, 36 percent, said they plan on staying on the Hill for “3-4 years,” with that response coming from 39 percent of the Republicans and 31 percent of the Democrats.
One other notable result — it appears there will be a noticeable decrease in the number of Democratic male aides in the very near future as 10 percent of Democratic men and 7 percent of Democratic Senior Policy aides plan to be on staff for “less than a year.”
The CNCT Capitol Pulse surveys represented in the above responses were both conducted prior to the current government shutdown, which is today in its 10th day, with little prospect for a quick end of the problem.
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