About The Authors

May 2022 - Central Government

Survey reveals that 72% of MPs' staff find their job 'emotionally draining': A survey of MPs' staff, the first of its kind, has found that 72.2% of parliamentary aides found their role 'emotionally draining', with a further 64.4% saying their role was 'difficult'.

The survey polled 200 members of staff, finding that aides have been negatively affected by factors such as the impact of the pandemic and Brexit, as well as abuse from the public and a lack of support in carrying out their job. Almost half the respondents polled said that more could be done to help support them in their roles.

The study was carried out by Dr Ashley Weinberg, an occupational psychologist who used the 'General Health Questionnaire-12' as part of the assessment. This questionnaire is used to gauge the levels of psychological distress in patients.

It found that almost half (49.5%) the aides polled were experiencing high levels of psychological strain (more than twice the level in the general population), while more than a third (34.9%) said they feel under supported in their role. Around a fifth of respondents to the survey (22.6%) described the job as 'harrowing', while almost one in 10 said they were 'fearful' in their role.

Many of the respondents polled admitted that they were finding it difficult to deal with heavy workloads from constituents in challenging situations, whilst a fifth of respondents said they felt 'unsafe' at work.

In response to the statement 'the working hours of my job make it hard to enjoy family relationships and non-working friendships', the majority answered 'always' (22.4%), while 19.6% said 'very frequently' and 21%, 'frequently'. A fifth said they 'sometimes' feel their job impacts on their enjoyment of relationships (20.6%), while just 5.5% said they are 'never' impacted.

Other Central Government Research Findings

Other Latest Market Research Insights