![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/people-in-uk-least-likely-to-say-work-is-important-to-their-life/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/131006862_work-index-getty.jpg&description=Image source, Getty Images People in the UK are among the least likely to say work should always come first, according to a new survey. According to the study, people now are more likely to say it would be a good thing if less importance was placed on work than they did 40 years ago. But this view varies depending on age, the survey by King's College London's Policy Institute found. While millennials are much more likely to see work as less important, the opposite is true of older generations. According to the World Values Survey, 73% of people in the UK say work is "very or rather important in their life" - the lowest of 24 countries. The percentage of people who hold the same view is similar in Russia and Canada, where 74% and 75% of people state the same thing respectively. By contrast, other Western nations rank much higher than the UK on this measure, with 96% of people in Italy and Spain agreeing, and 94% in France. And further afield, countries like the Philippines and Indonesia scored 99%. Speaking about the findings, Prof Bobby Duffy, director of the Policy Institute at King's College London, said the findings suggest a "steady drift towards a greater focus on getting work-life balance right" in the UK, with "people less likely to think work should be prioritised over spare time, that hard work leads to success, or that not working makes people lazy". The survey suggests that this attitude has increased over time in the UK. Between 1981 and 2022, the share of the British public who said it would be a good thing if less importance was placed on work rose from 26% to 43%, the study said. This opinion has gradually become more widespread in several other Western nations too. For example, over a similar period, the proportion holding this view rose from 25% to 41% in Canada and from 30% to 45% in Germany. The survey also concluded that the UK has one of the most favourable views of people who don't work, with only Sweden less likely than the UK to say non-worki){kind=link}
People in the UK are among the least likely to say work should always come first, according to a new survey.
According to the study, people now are more likely to say it would be a good thing if less importance was placed on work than they did 40 years ago.
But this view varies depending on age, the survey by King’s College London’s Policy Institute found.
While millennials are much more likely to see work as less important, the opposite is true of older generations.
According to the World Values Survey, 73% of people in the UK say work is “very or rather important in their life” – the lowest of 24 countries.