Quick answer: Survey Interviewers are one of the most stress-exposed occupations in Australia — ranked #12 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 58.6/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are precision and monotony and emotional demands.
Survey Interviewers stress profile vs the national average
Each occupation is scored across six categories of workplace mental health hazard, built from 22 stress factors identified in SafeWork Australia's occupational hazards data. Higher scores mean greater exposure.
- Emotional demands56.2 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden62 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands58.6 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control31 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony91.2 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment52.8 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for survey interviewers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, survey interviewers score furthest above the norm on precision and monotony (91.2 vs 67.7 average), emotional demands (56.2 vs 37.9 average) and physical environment (52.8 vs 38.2 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 91.8/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for survey interviewers
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
91.8/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Precision and monotony
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks
90.8/100
All-occupation average: 56.9
- 3Pace and demands
Time Pressure
80/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 4Physical environment
Physical Proximity
79/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 5Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
78.5/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
All 22 stress factors for survey interviewers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
56.2 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People24.5 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People74.2 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations70 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
62 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results63.8 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety63.2 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results78.5 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error33.5 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others71.2 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
58.6 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure80 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week59.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment23.2 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making78.2 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition52 vs 52.4
Lack of control
31 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions31 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work31 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
91.2 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks90.8 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate91.8 vs 78.6
Physical environment
52.8 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable78.5 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting37.5 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures6.8 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections62 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity79 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for survey interviewers map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Exposure to Violence →Whether workers face the risk of physical or verbal aggression at work.
- Exposure to Trauma →Whether workers encounter traumatic events or material as part of their role.
- Work Interaction →The quality of relationships and interactions within the team and organisation.
- Work Demands →The volume, pace, and complexity of what is asked of workers.
- Role Clarity →Whether workers clearly understand what is expected of them.
- Leadership →The quality and consistency of management behaviour at all levels.
Methodology
Clearhead scored 317 occupations in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) using SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. We kept only the 22 hazard variables relating to mental health — such as conflict exposure, decision-making pressure, and time pressure — and deliberately excluded physical safety risks like working at height.
The 22 variables are grouped into six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment. An occupation's composite score is the equally weighted average of its six category scores. All scores run 0–100, where higher means more stress-inducing.
Two control-related variables are reported by SafeWork with inverted polarity (“freedom to make decisions” and “structured versus unstructured work”). We reverse these and present them as lack of autonomy to make decisions and amount of highly structured work, so that a higher score consistently indicates greater stress exposure.
Hazard exposure describes the average conditions of an occupation, not any individual's experience — everyone has a different tolerance for these challenges, and conditions vary between workplaces.
Frequently asked questions
Survey Interviewers: how stressful is the job?
Survey Interviewers rank #12 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 58.6/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 96.2% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for survey interviewers?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (91.8/100), importance of repeating same tasks (90.8/100) and time pressure (80/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for survey interviewers?
Survey Interviewers score at or above the national average across all six stress categories.
Where does this data come from?
Scores are derived from SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. Clearhead filtered the dataset to the 22 mental-health-related hazard variables — excluding physical safety risks — and scored 317 ANZSCO occupations across six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment.
Beyond the average
This is the average hazard exposure for survey interviewers. Your workforce isn't average.
Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse measures the actual psychosocial risk in your organisation, quarterly — across 18 ISO 45003-aligned work factors.