Work

Of 24 nations, people in the UK emerge as the least likely to say work is important in their life, and among the least likely to say work should always come first, even if it means less leisure time. 

Correspondingly, the UK has one of the highest proportions of the population who think it would be a good thing if less importance were placed on work – and this has risen considerably since trends began in 1981.  

There have also been notable shifts in attitudes by generation, with Millennials becoming much more likely to say they’d welcome a decline in the importance of work, and much less likely to say work should always come first. 

Learn more and explore the data using the interactive charts below.