Work Engagement among Staff at One of Brazil's Leading Federal Universities: A Quantitative Analysis

Context : Work engagement is an indicator of well-being and performance. In Brazil’s public sector, especially in federal universities, few studies have examined this phenomenon and its relationship with demographic characteristics. Purpose : This study investigates work engagement among public servants at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil, addressing the research gap in engagement within the Brazilian public sector. It also examines how demographic factors such as age, gender, education, parental status, occupational group, and career stage relate to engagement levels. Design/methodology/approach : A total of 1,506 public servants (52% women), including technical and academic staff, completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and the nine-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). Statistical analyses included ANOVA, t-tests, and linear regression. Additionally, a mediation analysis was performed to assess whether age mediates the relationship between occupational group and engagement. Findings : The average engagement score (4.61) placed the sample within the 30th percentile of the Brazilian normative population. Moderate positive correlations were found for age, parental status, occupational group, and career stage. Gender and education showed negligible effects. Age partially mediated the association between occupational group and engagement.