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《自然》于2026年10月13日至14日发布2026年科研工作满意度调查的首批结果。近3900名来自133个国家的自选受访者中，约61%表示对工作至少中等满意；薪水在八项因素中靠后，有意义且投入的工作、工作与生活平衡、岗位保障和充足研究经费更受重视。加拿大总体满意度最高，印度职业乐观感最强。本文说明主要发现、产业与高校对比，以及调查的边界。

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What keeps scientists happy at work — a higher salary, or something else? On October 13 and 14, 2026, Nature released the first results of its 2026 science-job satisfaction survey, created with the London consultancy Thinks Insight & Strategy. Nearly 3,900 researchers across 133 countries took part. About 61% felt at least moderately satisfied with their jobs, and roughly 75% felt optimistic or neutral about their career prospects. Sixty-five percent would recommend a research career to students.

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是什么让科学家在工作中感到快乐——更高的薪水，还是别的什么？2026年10月13日和14日，《自然》发布了其2026年科研工作满意度调查的首批结果，调查与伦敦咨询机构Thinks Insight & Strategy合作完成。来自133个国家的近3900名研究者参与。约61%对工作至少中等满意，约75%对职业前景感到乐观或中立。65%会向学生推荐科研职业。

Salary ranked near the bottom of eight factors the survey assessed. Doing meaningful and engaging work, keeping a good work–life balance, having job security, and securing enough research funding all mattered more than take-home pay. Scientists later in their careers, people with permanent posts, and those earning above the equivalent of about US$50,000 a year tended to feel more satisfied than others. Men were more optimistic about their outlook than women: 56% of men felt positive about their career future, compared with 44% of women.

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在调查评估的八项因素中，薪水接近末位。做有意义且令人投入的工作、保持良好的工作与生活平衡、拥有岗位保障，以及获得充足研究经费，都被视为比实得薪水更重要。职业生涯较后期的科学家、拥有稳定职位者，以及年收入高于约5万美元等值者，往往比其他人更满意。男性对前景比女性更乐观：56%的男性对职业未来感到积极，女性为44%。

Industry pay was higher — on average about 66% more than academic pay in this survey — yet industry scientists were not significantly more satisfied than those in academia. Science-policy scholar Henry Sauermann, at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin, notes that satisfaction is about more than money: academic researchers may enjoy greater autonomy and interesting projects. Asked which single workplace change would help most, many respondents pointed to better funding, more jobs, clearer leadership, or stronger job security.

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产业界薪酬更高——在本调查中平均约比高校高66%——但产业界科学家的满意度并未显著高于高校。柏林欧洲管理与技术学院的科学政策学者Henry Sauermann指出，满意度关乎的不只是金钱：高校研究者可能享有更大自主权和有趣课题。当被问及哪一项单一职场变化帮助最大时，许多受访者指向更好的经费、更多岗位、更清晰的领导，或更强的岗位保障。

Among countries with more than 100 responses, Canada had the highest overall satisfaction rate, at 76%. Scientists there were more often happy with interesting projects, independence, meaningful work, remote options, benefits, and pay than the global average. Higher-education researcher Glen Jones of the University of Toronto links that pattern to a generally supportive environment and strong academic freedom. India had the largest national sample and the strongest career optimism: 70% felt positive about their prospects, and 82% would recommend science as a career — both well above the world average.

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在回应超过100人的国家中，加拿大总体满意度最高，为76%。当地科学家对有趣课题、独立性、工作意义、远程选项、福利与薪酬的满意比例高于全球平均。多伦多大学高等教育研究者Glen Jones将这一模式与总体上支持性的环境及较强的学术自由联系起来。印度的国家样本量最大，职业乐观感也最强：70%对前景感到积极，82%会推荐科学职业——两者均明显高于世界平均。

The survey is self-selecting, so national comparisons need care, and samples differ by career stage and sector. Job satisfaction has partly recovered since the harder pandemic years, but it is still below the 2018 level. Still, the practical message is clear for workplaces far beyond labs: people value meaning, flexibility, and security alongside pay. For students weighing a research path, the data suggest that supportive conditions — not salary alone — help explain why many scientists still like the work they do.

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该调查为自选样本，因此国家间比较需谨慎，且样本在职业阶段与部门上存在差异。工作满意度自疫情更艰难的年份以来已部分回升，但仍低于2018年水平。不过，对实验室以外的职场而言，现实启示是清楚的：人们在薪酬之外同样看重意义、弹性与保障。对正在权衡科研道路的学生来说，数据表明，支持性的条件——而非单靠薪水——有助于解释为何许多科学家仍喜欢自己的工作。

新闻来源

• Nature · What’s the secret sauce for happy scientists at work? These eight countries offer some clues (14 Oct 2026)
• Nature Briefing · Daily briefing: What makes a happy scientist at work? (13 Oct 2026)

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