Contrary to stereotyped perceptions (and Saturday Night Live skits), IT staff members aren't necessarily targets of verbal abuse, they do get positive feedback from users, and they aren't constantly surfing the Web looking for new jobs. As for CIOs ... insufficient data.

That's according to survey results released today by Intermedia, a vendor of hosted e-mail services. Intermedia surveyed 500 corporate staff members among their small and midsize customers and found that, among other surprising results, IT staff feel appreciated more than other staff members -- by a wide margin.

In the last month:

While the numbers aren't high, they do run contrary to most people's perceptions of IT's place in the corporate culture.

"There is certainly a prevailing sentiment that users get frustrated with technology and that IT staff bear the brunt," said Rurik Bradbury, VP of Strategy for Intermedia, in a statement. "It's refreshing to see that many IT staff do feel appreciated and happy in their jobs."

Unfortunately, Intermedia didn't provide research data on CIO perceptions. So let's take a straw poll: Are CIOs appreciated? Have you been thanked lately by your users? And have you thought about quitting your job?