UK residents least likely to say work is important, says new survey

Britons are least likely to place more importance on work in their lives and are also among the least likely to say work should always come first, according to a new survey involving people from 24 countries.

The survey conducted by King's College London's Policy Institute found that people in the UK also do not believe that hard work gets you a better life.

The study highlights the drastic changes in people's attitudes towards work and life. According to the survey, the number of people who believed that less importance should be given to work has increased to 43% from 26% in 1981.

In fact, it says that Brits have the most favourable views of people who don't work. As many as 93% of the UK public believe that leisure time is "very or rather important in their life."

The number of people who place emphasis on the importance of leisure time has risen in recent decades, from 86% in 1990 to 93% in 2022. Similar trends were observed in countries like Canada and Germany.

More than half of millennials in the UK say that it would have been better if less emphasis was placed on career and work. But the older generation does not share this view.

"Both Gen X (17%) and Gen Z (19%) are similarly unlikely to think work should be prioritised above all else, while the Pre-War generation (43%) stand out as by far the most supportive of the view that work should always take precedence," adds the study.

Earlier this year, research by McKinsey & Company found that a lack of work-life balance was one of the main reasons people leave their jobs for a new one.

"The blurring of the work-personal life distinction is the leading cause of burnout," it read.

In fact, UK workers work 5 per cent fewer hours than before. The figures provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that in 1993, people were working 38.4 hours a week, which is 1.8 hours less than it is today, adding up to 94 hours annually.

An analysis of ONS data by PR agency Lem-uhm claimed that the Covid-19 pandemic has been the main driver behind people wanting to address their work-life balance.

"Everyone slowed down and took a step back from their normal lives including working routines. I believe this provided the opportunity for individuals to reassess their priorities and many realised that a happier life was what they value most," said Riannon Palmer, the Managing Director at Lem-uhn.