Neutral Objects Satisfaction Questionnaire [NOSQ]

Description

The Neutral Objects Satisfaction Questionnaire (NOSQ) is an instrument designed to assess an individual’s general tendency to experience satisfaction or dissatisfaction with relatively neutral aspects of everyday life. Rather than focusing only on work itself, the questionnaire includes judgments about ordinary objects, situations, services, and aspects of the social environment.

The original version was associated with Weitz (1952) and included a broad range of everyday topics such as place of residence, climate, transportation, media, prices, leisure time, and personal or social experiences.

Aim

The main aim of the NOSQ is to assess general affective disposition toward everyday objects and circumstances. The measure has been used in research examining whether satisfaction with neutral objects reflects a broader dispositional tendency that may also be related to job satisfaction and other work attitudes.

Structure

Two forms are presented in the source material.

The Weitz (1952) version contains 44 items, while the later Judge and Hulin (1993) version contains 25 items.

The revised form includes items concerning areas such as:

place of residence,

neighbors,

climate,

food quality,

transportation,

media,

leisure time,

personal identity,

modern art,

and popular music.

Scoring

Responses are rated on a three-point scale:

1 = Dissatisfied
2 = Neutral
3 = Satisfied.

Higher overall scores generally indicate a greater tendency to report satisfaction across neutral objects and everyday circumstances.

Applications

The NOSQ has been used primarily in organizational psychology and job satisfaction research, particularly in studies examining the role of dispositional affect in shaping attitudes toward work.

It may also be useful in research on general satisfaction tendencies, affective disposition, and individual differences in subjective evaluation.

Conclusions

The Neutral Objects Satisfaction Questionnaire (NOSQ) provides a distinctive approach to the assessment of satisfaction by focusing on relatively neutral aspects of everyday life rather than directly on employment or major life domains.

Its use can help researchers explore whether satisfaction reflects, at least partly, a broader and relatively stable individual disposition.

References

Weitz, J. (1952). A neglected concept in the study of job satisfaction. Personnel Psychology, 5, 201–205.

Judge, T. A., & Hulin, C. L. (1993). Job satisfaction as a reflection of disposition: A multiple-source causal analysis. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 56, 388–421.

Eschleman, K. J., & Bowling, N. A. (2011). A construct validation of the Neutral Objects Satisfaction Questionnaire (NOSQ). Journal of Business and Psychology, 26, 501–515.