New Jersey is one of the states faking sick days the most, survey says
NEW JERSEY – Almost 50% of Americans has admitted to ‘faking’ a sick day at work, according to a new survey conducted by Moneypenny, with family occasions and mental health being the leading reasons.
Moneypenny surveyed 2,000 Americans across different industries and states to find out how many have called in sick with a fake illness, and the reasons why.
Why people fake sick days
Reason | Total | Male | Female |
Family Occasions | 29% | 29% | 29% |
Mental Health | 26% | 31% | 21% |
Appointments | 23% | 17% | 19% |
Holidays | 12% | 14% | 9% |
Other (Respondents were asked to specify) | 10% | 9% | 11% |
Family occasions were the leading reasons people have lied about being ill, with almost 30% of respondents admitting to this. Mental health is another leading reason, with 10% more men admitting to faking illness for a mental health day, compared to women.
There has been a lot of discussion around the idea that mental health should be treated the same as poor physical health, with some workplaces starting to introduce mental health, or wellness days as an added company benefit. However, in many workplaces’ places, poor mental health is still considered a taboo subject.
The states faking sick days the most
State | Have admitted to faking illness |
Montana – MT | 100.00% |
Vermont – VT | 100.00% |
Wyoming – WY | 100.00% |
North Dakota – ND | 75% |
New Jersey – NJ | 69% |
New Mexico – NM | 67% |
Alabama – AL | 64% |
Washington – WA | 62% |
Delaware – DE | 60% |
Hawaii – HI | 60% |
Mississippi – MS | 60% |
Montana, Vermont and Wyoming were the states most likely to fake sick days, with 100% of respondents admitting to doing so.
Who is most likely to call in sick?
The research also took a deep dive into who is most likely to call in sick, revealing the ages and industries most likely to fake illness.
The survey went on to reveal that 21–34-year-olds are the most likely to fake an illness to gain a day off work, with 53% of the age range admitted to doing so, followed closely by 45-54 year olds.
Age | Have admitted to faking an illness |
18-24 | 50% |
25-34 | 53% |
35-44 | 48% |
45-54 | 51% |
55-64 | 40% |
65+ | 45% |
Sector | Have admitted to faking illness |
Charity and voluntary work | 74% |
Property and construction | 63% |
Social care | 62% |
Science and pharmaceuticals | 60% |
Law enforcement and security | 57% |
Law | 57% |
Business, consulting, and management | 57% |
Environment and agriculture | 56% |
Public services and administration | 54% |
Recruitment and HR | 53% |
Regarding sectors, it was revealed that those who work within the charity and voluntary industry are most likely to feign illness, with 74% admitting so, followed closely by the property and construction, and social care industries.
Whilst half of Americans have admitted to faking a sick day, 48% have said that they do take fewer sick days since the rise of hybrid and remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commenting on the research, Eric Schurke, CEO North America, Moneypenny said, “With the changing working world, and Americans having more flexible working options than ever before, we wanted to take a deep dive into how this impacts sick days. Burnout is something that is currently well documented in the media and our research plays into this, with 26% of Americans saying they fake an illness due to poor mental health.”
For more information and results from the survey, click here.