The classic global job-satisfaction index; its 5-item short version popularized by Judge and colleagues is a workhorse of survey research.
OBJob Attitudes & CommitmentFree for researchalso known as: Brayfield–Rothe Index, Brief Overall Job Satisfaction
At a glance
Construct measured
Overall (global) job satisfaction
Developed by
Brayfield & Rothe (1951)
Original publication
Brayfield, A. H., & Rothe, H. F. (1951). An index of job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 35(5), 307–311.
Number of items
18 (original index); the 5-item short version is most used today
Response format
5-point agreement scale (Strongly disagree to Strongly agree)
Dimensions & subscales
Unidimensional — a single global evaluation of the job, with a balance of positively and negatively worded items.
Reliability (commonly reported)
The 5-item version's alpha is commonly reported around .80–.90; the full 18-item index is commonly above .90.
Validity evidence
Long track record of construct validity as a global attitude measure; the 5-item version (Judge, Locke, Durham, & Kluger, 1998) shows clean unidimensional structure and strong convergent validity with facet composites, plus criterion links to performance and withdrawal in meta-analytic work.
Populations & contexts
General working populations across occupations and countries; often used where survey space is tight or in multi-wave designs.
Origin, translations & adaptations
United States. The short form has been translated and used in many countries; items are simple and translate readily, but validated translations should be preferred where available.
Licensing & permission
Free for academic research (cite the source) The index was published in the academic literature in 1951 and the short version is routinely reproduced in published research; cite Brayfield and Rothe (1951) and, for the 5-item version, Judge et al. (1998).
How to cite (APA 7)
Brayfield, A. H., & Rothe, H. F. (1951). An index of job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 35(5), 307–311. [5-item version: Judge, T. A., Locke, E. A., Durham, C. C., & Kluger, A. N. (1998). Dispositional effects on job and life satisfaction: The role of core evaluations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(1), 17–34.]
Short versions & notable variants
Judge et al. (1998) 5-item version — the most common modern form
Single-item global satisfaction measures (e.g., 'the faces scale' tradition) are sometimes used as ultra-short alternatives