More Than One-Third of Workers Discuss Politics at Work

One-in-Five of Those Who Have Discussed Politics at Work Had a Fight or Heated Conversation with a Co-Worker Over Political Views

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CareerBuilder

Mar 01, 2012, 06:00 ET

CHICAGO, March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As one of the most anticipated and contentious presidential races moves forward, you may find the most vocal political pundits in the next cubicle, according to a new CareerBuilder survey. Thirty-six percent of workers reported they discuss politics at work. Forty-three percent expect they will be talking about this year's presidential election with co-workers. The nationwide survey of more than 7,000 full-time workers nationwide was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder between November 9 and December 5, 2011.

While most conversations around politics were good-natured or even-tempered, 23 percent of workers who have discussed politics at work reported they had a heated discussion or fight with a co-worker, boss or someone else higher up in the organization. One-in-ten workers said their opinion about a co-worker changed after they discovered that person's political affiliation, with most stating it changed for the negative.

Politics By Gender

Men were more likely to share political opinions or commentary at the office. Forty-four percent of men discuss politics at work compared to 28 percent of women. Men were also more likely to report an altercation with a co-worker over opposing political views – 25 percent compared to 19 percent of women.

Politics By Age

Workers age 55 and older were the most likely to discuss politics at work while those under the age of 25 were the least likely:

Ages 18-24 – 25 percent
Ages 25-34 – 30 percent
Ages 35-44 – 34 percent
Ages 45-54 – 40 percent
Ages 55 and older – 43 percent

Are office politics more combative than government politics?

Forty-six percent of workers believe the competitive nature of government politics is strikingly similar to that office politics. Nearly one-in-five (19 percent) said office politics are more vicious than national politics.

"Most workers opt to keep political debates outside of the workplace," said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. "Anytime you're dealing with subject matter that is sensitive or potentially inflammatory, it's important to always be respectful of your colleagues' opinions and avoid emotionally-charged exchanges."

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive© on behalf of CareerBuilder among 7,780 U.S. workers (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between November 9 and December 5, 2011 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 7,780, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 1.11 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

About CareerBuilder®

CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset - their people. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 45 million resumes. CareerBuilder works with the world's top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and data analysis to recruitment support. More than 10,000 websites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder's proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.

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SOURCE CareerBuilder