German General Job Satisfaction Scale (Allgemeine Arbeitszufriedenheit – AAZ)
A multidimensional instrument designed to assess individual aspects of working life and general attitudes toward work.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The German General Job Satisfaction Scale (Allgemeine Arbeitszufriedenheit – AAZ) was developed by A. H. Fischer & H. E. Lück (1972). It is designed to measure Job Satisfaction. The scale is intended for use with Working adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 37 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Self-realization, Resignation, Payment, Company.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Self-realization | 2,7,12,17,21,22,24,27 | 8 |
| Resignation | 5,8,9,11,14,19,20,30 | 8 |
| Payment | 29,31,32,33,36,37 | 6 |
| Company | 10,23,25,26,28,34,35 | 7 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Incorrect / Very dissatisfied / Very bad / Very few / Definitely not / Never, 2 = Fairly incorrect / Fairly dissatisfied / Fairly bad / Fairly few / Fairly sure not / Fairly rarely, 3 = Neither / Neutral, 4 = Fairly correct / Fairly satisfied / Fairly good / Fairly many / Fairly sure / Fairly frequently, 5 = Correct / Very satisfied / Very good / Very many / Very sure / Very frequently.
The scale includes 12 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 36 to 180. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Job Satisfaction: 36 – 84
- Moderate Job Satisfaction: 85 – 132
- High Job Satisfaction: 133 – 180
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Split-half reliability = .87 to .96.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.