Public perception of the appropriate wages for different working conditions of nurses

Abstract This study investigates how members of the labour force in Germany assess wages in various nursing professions, which wage levels they consider appropriate, and how these assessments vary by working conditions. Using a vignette experiment embedded in an online survey, we identify causal effects of worker and job characteristics on respondents’ wage evaluations. We describe hypothetical care workers and characteristics of their jobs and ask respondents both the wages they presume are currently paid and those they consider appropriate for specific combinations of worker and job characteristics. A substantial share of the respondents considers notable increases in wages to be appropriate, especially in geriatric care and for less skilled nursing assistants. Wage assessments also reflect job characteristics such as performance as well as mental and physical stress. Overall, our findings suggest that the public favours slightly higher wages, specifically for outpatient and inpatient geriatric care, and may favour wage models that more strongly account for performance and stress factors.