The Employee Mindset Survey is a quarterly survey by 4 Corner Resources of full-time employed U.S. workers aged 18 to 70 with household incomes of $50,000 or more. It tracks how workers feel about their jobs, the job market, and AI, and combines those answers into one Employee Mindset Score from 0 to 100.
Below is everything you need to judge and cite the results: who we survey, when, the exact questions, how the scores are calculated, and where the data falls short.
Who Takes the Employee Mindset Survey?
We conduct the survey through Zoho Survey’s research panel. Respondents are full-time employed U.S. adults aged 18 to 70 with household incomes of $50,000 or more a year.
Each quarter is a separate panel survey, and results are not weighted. Every reported figure is the share of all qualified respondents unless a chart says otherwise.
When Each Survey Was Conducted
Every quarter has surveyed more than 750 U.S. workers, and the overall score has held between 66.0 and 67.8.
Survey dates, respondents, and Employee Mindset Score by quarter
| Quarter | Conducted | Respondents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q4 2026 | October 6 to 10, 2026 | 754 | 67.7 |
| Q3 2026 | July 7 to 10, 2026 | 756 | 67.3 |
| Q2 2026 | April 1 to 4, 2026 | 751 | 66.0 |
| Q1 2026 | January 12 to 13, 2026 | 756 | 67.8 |
Each quarter links to its full results.
How Is the Employee Mindset Score Calculated?
Every answer is converted to a score from 0 to 100, where a higher score means a more positive answer. Each respondent gets a score on three indexes, each a weighted average of five questions. We score every respondent individually, then average across all respondents to produce the quarter’s index scores.
Three indexes of five questions each feed the overall score.
What each index measures and how its questions are weighted
| Index | What it measures | Questions and weights |
|---|---|---|
| Job Satisfaction Index | How people feel about their current job | Employer satisfaction 30%Expected tenure 20%, work stress 20%, required vs. preferred work arrangement 15%, pay vs. local cost of living 15% |
| Employee Confidence Index | How secure people feel in their role and the job market | Role stability 25%Job market anxiety 25%, job market confidence 20%, months of expenses covered without a paycheck 20%, trust in official jobs reports 10% |
| AI Threat Index | How threatened people feel by AI (higher means more threat) | Concern about AI in the next 3 years 30%Concern in the next 6 to 12 months 20%, share of work AI could replace 20%, expected AI career impact 15%, naming AI as the biggest threat to their job 15% |
The overall score weights job satisfaction and confidence equally and flips the AI Threat Index, so more AI concern lowers the score:
Employee Mindset Score = 0.40 × Job Satisfaction + 0.40 × Employee Confidence + 0.20 × (100 − AI Threat)
See how every answer is scored
Job Satisfaction Index: how every answer is scored
Higher scores mean more positive answers.
| Question | Weight | Answer scores |
|---|---|---|
| Satisfaction with current employer | 30% | Extremely satisfied 100, somewhat satisfied 75, neutral 50, somewhat unsatisfied 25, not satisfied at all 0 |
| Expected tenure with current employer | 20% | More than 5 years 100, 3 to 5 years 75, 1 to 2 years 50, less than 1 year 25, actively looking 0 |
| Work-related stress and anxiety | 20% | No stress 100, low 75, medium 50, high 25, extreme 0 |
| Required vs. preferred work arrangement | 15% | Exact match 100, one side is hybrid 60, remote vs. in-office mismatch 0 |
| Pay relative to cost of living | 15% | Well above average 100, somewhat above 75, average 50, somewhat below 25, well below 0 |
Employee Confidence Index: how every answer is scored
Higher scores mean more positive answers.
| Question | Weight | Answer scores |
|---|---|---|
| Confidence in the stability of current role | 25% | Extremely confident 100, somewhat confident 75, neutral 50, somewhat unconfident 25, not confident at all 0 |
| Anxiety about the job market | 25% | Not anxious at all 100, somewhat anxious 50, extremely anxious 0 |
| Confidence in the health of the job market | 20% | Same five-point confidence scale as role stability |
| Financial runway without a paycheck | 20% | More than a year 100, 7 to 12 months 75, 4 to 6 months 50, 1 to 3 months 25, none 0 |
| Trust in official jobs reports | 10% | Full trust 100, mostly trust 75, neutral 50, mostly distrust 25, no trust 0 |
AI Threat Index: how every answer is scored
On this index, a higher score means more perceived threat.
| Question | Weight | Answer scores |
|---|---|---|
| Concern about AI affecting their job within 3 years | 30% | Extremely concerned 100, somewhat concerned 50, unconcerned 0 |
| Concern about AI affecting their job in the next 6 to 12 months | 20% | Same three-point scale |
| Share of responsibilities AI could replace | 20% | The respondent’s own percentage (0 to 100), used as is |
| Expected impact of AI on their career | 15% | Extremely negative 100, somewhat negative 75, no impact 50, somewhat positive 25, extremely positive 0 |
| Names AI or automation as the biggest threat to their job | 15% | Selected 100, any other answer 0 |
How Should the Score Be Read?
Scores from 51 to 75 describe a steady, generally positive workforce, and every quarter so far has landed there.
What each Employee Mindset Score range means
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 76 to 100 | Highly positive, resilient workforce |
| 51 to 75 | Steady, generally positive |
| 26 to 50 | Fragile, high risk of turnover |
| 0 to 25 | Distressed workforce |
What Questions Does the Survey Ask?
Below is the exact wording of all 27 questions, grouped by topic rather than in the order asked. Questions that feed an index are marked.
About your job
- Which job level best aligns with your current position?
- How many employees does your organization have in total?
- What industry or category is your company in?
- Which area or department of your company do you work with most?
Job satisfaction
- What is your level of satisfaction with your current employer? (Job Satisfaction Index)
- How long do you expect to stay with your current employer? (Job Satisfaction Index)
- How would you rate your overall well-being in terms of stress or anxiety with your role? (Job Satisfaction Index)
- What is your current required work environment? (Job Satisfaction Index, scored with question 9)
- What is your preferred work environment? (Job Satisfaction Index, scored with question 8)
- Would you accept lower pay for a fully remote position?
- How would you rate your level of compensation compared to the average cost of living where you live? (Job Satisfaction Index)
Confidence and the job market
- How confident are you in the stability of your role with your current employer? (Employee Confidence Index)
- What do you feel is the biggest potential threat to your employment at your current company? (AI Threat Index, when AI or automation is named)
- What’s your overall level of anxiety about the future of your place in the job market? (Employee Confidence Index)
- What’s your level of confidence with the overall health of the job market over the next 6-12 months? (Employee Confidence Index)
- What’s your level of trust in the accuracy and transparency of official or government-level reports on the state of the job market? (Employee Confidence Index)
- If you lost your job today, how many months could you cover your living expenses? (Employee Confidence Index)
AI at work
- How much of an impact does the use of AI have in your role today?
- How much has AI usage changed in your role over the past 6 months?
- How much do you expect AI usage to change in your role over the next 6-12 months?
- What is your expectation of the impact of AI on your career in the next year? (AI Threat Index)
- What is the top use you have for AI in your work today?
- What percentage of your current responsibilities could be enhanced or improved through the use of AI?
- What percentage of your current responsibilities could be replaced by AI? (AI Threat Index)
- What is your level of concern that AI could be a threat to your job in the next 6-12 months? (AI Threat Index)
- What is your level of concern that AI could be a threat to your job in the next 3 years? (AI Threat Index)
- Would you change jobs for better exposure to AI?
How Are Results Broken Out?
Results are reported for all respondents and by age, gender, income, job level, and industry. Subgroups are smaller than the full sample, so their results move more from quarter to quarter.
What Are the Survey’s Limits?
- Respondents come from an online research panel, not a random sample of all U.S. workers, so we don’t report a margin of error.
- Results describe full-time employed U.S. workers with household incomes of $50,000 or more, not the whole workforce.
- Answers are self-reported.
- Responses are anonymous, so some people may have answered in more than one quarter. Quarter-to-quarter changes compare separate groups of respondents, not the same people over time.
How Should I Cite the Employee Mindset Survey?
4 Corner Resources, Employee Mindset Survey, Q4 2026 (conducted October 6 to 10, 2026; 754 full-time employed U.S. workers with household incomes of $50,000 or more). https://www.4cornerresources.com/employee-mindset-survey/
For other quarters, swap in that quarter’s dates, respondent count, and results page.
Media Contact
For press questions, data requests, or an interview with 4 Corner Resources President Pete Newsome, email [email protected].