Employee benefits central to job
choice—93 percent of survey respondents say the
benefits offered by a prospective employer were either
very important or somewhat important when deciding to
accept or reject a job.
Quality of health care highly
rated—Americans' rating of the quality of health
care they receive has remained high over the last three
years. In 1992, among respondents who indicated they had
received care from a doctor or hospital in the last year
(88 percent), 83 percent rated the quality of that care
as either excellent or good. In contrast, 27 percent of
all respondents rated the U.S. health care system
as excellent or good.
Equality in health care
favored—Seventy-seven percent of Americans believe
everyone should receive the same amount and quality of
health care, whether or not they can pay for that care.
Eighty-six percent either disagree or strongly disagree
that it would be acceptable to reduce the amount of
health care available to the elderly in order to slow the
rise in health care costs and increase access to health
care for all Americans.
Choice of savings vehicle may
affect retirement—Fifty-one percent of survey
respondents indicated having retirement savings in
personal savings, compared with 33 percent with savings
in an individual retirement account (IRA), and 20 percent
with savings in a 401(k). The emphasis on the use of
personal savings indicates that many Americans may not be
taking full advantage of tax-advantaged savings plans.
Security in investments sought—Seventy
percent of workers said they were more inclined to choose
low-risk/low-return investments. This preference for less
risky and lower return investments may be of some
concern, as it may lead to lower standards of living in
retirement.
Family leave favored—Three
out of four Americans (76 percent) indicated that
employers should be required to provide an unpaid leave
of absence to employees upon the birth or adoption of a
child, with guaranteed reemployment.
