Market research analysts are below average when it comes to happiness.

At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how satisfied they are with their careers. As it turns out, market research analysts rate their career happiness 2.9 out of 5 stars which puts them in the bottom 29% of careers.

To put this into perspective, we compared how happy market research analysts are to similar careers in the industry. Take a look at the results below:

Salaries and satisfaction ratings in similar careers

Career Satisfaction Avg Salary
Search engine marketing specialist
3.0
$43k
Business analyst
3.0
$93k
Public relations specialist
3.0
$63k
Treasurer
3.0
$132k
Financial manager
3.0
$132k
Market research analyst
2.9
$64k
Publicist
2.9
$63k
Fraud analyst
2.9
$73k
Fundraiser
2.9
$61k
Property manager
2.9
$59k

So what does it mean to be happy in your career? Let’s break it down into different dimensions:

  • Salary: Are market research analysts happy with their salary?
  • Meaning: Do market research analysts find their jobs meaningful?
  • Personality fit: How well suited are people’s personalities to their everyday tasks as market research analysts?
  • Work environment: How enjoyable are market research analyst’s work environments?
  • Skills utilization: Are market research analysts making the best use of their abilities?

Are market research analysts happy with their salary?

Market research analysts rated their satisfaction with their salaries 3.0/5. Few are explicitly unhappy with their salaries, with most market research analysts having generally positive views of their salary.

We asked market research analysts how fairly compensated they are for their work.
Their response was:

3.0 out of 5 stars

816 market research analysts

5 Star
10%

10% of market research analysts rated their compensation 5 stars

4 Star
27%

27% of market research analysts rated their compensation 4 stars

3 Star
30%

30% of market research analysts rated their compensation 3 stars

2 Star
21%

21% of market research analysts rated their compensation 2 stars

1 Star
12%

12% of market research analysts rated their compensation 1 stars

Do market research analysts find their jobs meaningful?

On average, market research analysts rate the meaningfulness of their work a 2.5/5. The majority of market research analysts struggle to find any sort of meaning in their work, likely resulting in less satisfaction with the career overall.

We asked market research analysts how meaningful they found their work.
Their response was:

2.5 out of 5 stars

823 market research analysts

5 Star
6%

6% of market research analysts rated how meaningful they found their career 5 stars

4 Star
15%

15% of market research analysts rated how meaningful they found their career 4 stars

3 Star
26%

26% of market research analysts rated how meaningful they found their career 3 stars

2 Star
28%

28% of market research analysts rated how meaningful they found their career 2 stars

1 Star
24%

24% of market research analysts rated how meaningful they found their career 1 stars

How well are people’s personalities suited to everyday tasks as market research analysts?

Market research analysts rated their personality fit with their work an average of 3.6/5. The majority of market research analysts find their personalities quite well suited to their work, with relatively few having complaints about their fit.

We asked market research analysts how well their personalities fit into their careers.
Their response was:

3.6 out of 5 stars

920 market research analysts

5 Star
21%

21% of market research analysts rated their career fit 5 stars

4 Star
38%

38% of market research analysts rated their career fit 4 stars

3 Star
26%

26% of market research analysts rated their career fit 3 stars

2 Star
12%

12% of market research analysts rated their career fit 2 stars

1 Star
3%

3% of market research analysts rated their career fit 1 stars

How enjoyable is a market research analyst’s work environment?

As a whole, market research analysts rated their enjoyment of their work environment 3.4/5. A solid majority of market research analysts enjoy their work environment, probably contributing to overall higher satisfaction with working as a market research analyst.

We asked market research analysts how much they enjoyed their work environment.
Their response was:

3.4 out of 5 stars

924 market research analysts

5 Star
15%

15% of market research analysts rated their work environment 5 stars

4 Star
36%

36% of market research analysts rated their work environment 4 stars

3 Star
27%

27% of market research analysts rated their work environment 3 stars

2 Star
16%

16% of market research analysts rated their work environment 2 stars

1 Star
6%

6% of market research analysts rated their work environment 1 stars

Are market research analysts making the best use of their abilities?

Former market research analysts on CareerExplorer have rated their skills utilization 3.0/5. Market research analysts tend to feel that they don’t manage to use their abilities to their fullest, when compared to other careers.

We asked market research analysts how well their abilities were used in their careers.
Their response was:

3.0 out of 5 stars

929 market research analysts

5 Star
10%

10% of market research analysts rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 5 stars

4 Star
25%

25% of market research analysts rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 4 stars

3 Star
29%

29% of market research analysts rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 3 stars

2 Star
25%

25% of market research analysts rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 2 stars

1 Star
11%

11% of market research analysts rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 1 stars