Social Cynicism and Job Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Analysis

Social cynicism, a negative view about people and social institutions, was found to show a negative correlation with job satisfaction across societies. A preliminary study in Hong Kong showed that social cynicism and job satisfaction correlated negatively across individuals as well. To confirm the causal effect of social cynicism on job satisfaction, a longitudinal study in Shanghai, China, with three waves of surveys, was conducted. Results showed that social cynicism correlated negatively with job satisfaction measured concurrently, and was predictive of job satisfaction measured subsequently. Consistent with the buffering hypothesis, perceived well-being was a significant moderator in that the negative relationship between social cynicism and job satisfaction was significant only when perceived well-being was low.