Occupational Prestige: An Empirical Study of its Correlates

This study empirically investigates the relationships which exist between the prestige evaluations of a selected group of 30 occupations and the evaluations of these occupations in terms of 20 specified occupational traits. The responses of a representative sample of 107 college freshmen indicate that the most significant correlates of occupational prestige were: “interesting and challenging work,” “intelligence required,” and “scarcity of personnel who can do the job.” The highest relationships between groups of occupational traits and prestige were: “intellectual and training requirements” and “rewards of the work.” The findings of this research are very similar to those of three previous studies.