Satisfaction levels in buildings: Results from the CBE Occupant Survey

Over the past 20 years at the Center for the Built Environment, we have created and maintained one of the most widely used web-based POE surveys on the market: the CBE Occupant Survey. The survey has been used to construct an extensive database of over 90,000 respondents from over 900 buildings. Among other objectives summarized here, we recently performed an analysis of the satisfaction levels we found in these buildings.

We found that 68% of the survey respondents are satisfied with their workspace, as shown in the chart below. Satisfaction is highest with spaces’ ease of interaction (75% satisfied), amount of light (74%), and cleanliness (71%). Dissatisfaction is highest with sound privacy (54% dissatisfied), temperature (39%), and noise level (34%). 

Reference: Graham LT, Parkinson T, Schiavon S. 2021. Lessons learned from 20 years of CBE’s occupant surveys. Buildings and Cities, 2(1), 166–184. https://doi.org/10.5334/bc.76