Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire [MSQ-20 & MSQ-100]

Description

The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) is a psychometric instrument developed in 1967 by Weiss, Dawis, England, and Lofquist to assess employees’ level of satisfaction with their current work.

The questionnaire approaches job satisfaction as a multidimensional construct, taking into account both the intrinsic characteristics of work and the broader organizational and interpersonal conditions under which work is performed.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the MSQ is to determine the extent to which employees are satisfied or dissatisfied with different aspects of their current job. The instrument examines approximately twenty dimensions of job satisfaction, including relationships with coworkers, advancement opportunities, compensation, supervision, job security, achievement, recognition, responsibility, organizational policies, creativity, variety, autonomy, authority, social status, ability utilization, moral values, social service, working conditions, technical supervision, and activity.

Through this multidimensional approach, the MSQ can help identify specific areas of the work experience that contribute to greater or lower levels of satisfaction.

Forms of the Questionnaire

The MSQ is available in two main versions:

MSQ-100 – Long Form: consists of 100 items and allows a more detailed assessment of the individual dimensions of job satisfaction.

MSQ-20 – Short Form: consists of 20 items and provides a more concise assessment of general, intrinsic, and extrinsic job satisfaction.

Both forms are designed to examine multiple aspects of employees’ satisfaction with their work.

Scoring

According to the source document, both versions use a five-point Likert-type response scale, ranging from:

1 = Very Satisfied
to
5 = Very Dissatisfied.

Interpretation should follow the scoring procedures specified for the particular version of the MSQ being administered.

Dimensions of Job Satisfaction

The short form of the MSQ can be used to calculate three principal indicators:

General Job Satisfaction, reflecting the employee’s overall level of satisfaction with their work.

Intrinsic Job Satisfaction, referring primarily to the nature of the work itself and how individuals feel about the tasks they perform.

Extrinsic Job Satisfaction, referring to external features of the work environment, such as compensation, benefits, and other employment conditions.

In the 100-item version, scores can also be calculated for the individual dimensions of job satisfaction.

Interpretation of Scores

Weiss et al. (1967) proposed that a percentile score below the 25th percentile may indicate a low level of job satisfaction, whereas a score above the 75th percentile may indicate a high level of job satisfaction.

Interpretation should take into account the characteristics of the population being assessed, the occupational setting, and the scoring norms associated with the specific form of the questionnaire.

Reliability and Validity

According to the source document, studies of the short form of the MSQ have reported satisfactory reliability indices across its three principal dimensions. The questionnaire has also demonstrated satisfactory validity and is considered useful for examining employees’ needs within organizational settings.

Applications

The MSQ may be used in organizational psychology, human resource management, career counseling, occupational health, and research on employee well-being. It can support the identification of areas associated with dissatisfaction and facilitate the investigation of relationships between job satisfaction and variables such as occupational stress, burnout, organizational commitment, and intention to leave.

References

Weiss, D. J., Dawis, R. V., England, G. W., & Lofquist, L. H. (1967). Manual for the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. Minnesota Studies in Vocational Rehabilitation, 22. University of Minnesota, Industrial Relations Center.