Young workers' 10-year plan to quit rat race

Four in 10 people aged under 35 are planning to quit the rat race for a slower pace of life - and almost 20 per cent hope to have done so within 10 years.

The dream of swapping a stressful job for a more balanced way of life is also popular with 35- to 54-year-olds - 12 per cent of whom are making plans to slow down, with six per cent hoping to have done so by 2006.

The study of more than 800 people, by insurer Prudential, found the reasons for cutting stress levels ranged from having a better quality of life - cited by about a third - to wanting to spend more time with the family.