In this economy, people are lucky just to have a job.

Which is perhaps why the majority of Americans would pick job security over higher pay, if given the choice.

The Pew Research Center asked 1,231 adults if, all other things being equal, they would prefer a job with higher pay or more job security. Overall, 58 percent opted for the job security, and 39 percent wanted the bigger bucks. The rest were undecided.

The only age demographic who would go for more money was 18-24-year olds, which is also the group that is likely to paid the least. And even among these youngest workers only 51 percent wanted the higher pay, whereas 48 percent favored job security.

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