One in four British aspire to '˜the simple life'

A survey of 1,007 people conducted by home heating specialist Emo Oil has revealed that 27% of British adults dream of a life in the country in a bid to lead a simpler life.

Findings revealed that 69% of city dwellers felt that a move to the country would likely improve their way of life.

The trend has been linked to celebrities such as Kate Middleton, Lilly Allen, Kate Moss and Fearne Cotton who all have country homes.

Leading a more relaxed lifestyle (52%) topped the list of benefits that attracted people to a quiet life in the country, followed by being close to nature (45%).

A sense of community appealed to a third (31%), while 19% stated a lower level of pollution attracted them to the country.

A further 27% thought that living in the countryside would provide their children with a safer environment to grow up in.

Suzanne Waddell, marketing manager at Emo Oil, said: “Given our reliance on technology it’s interesting to see that many are dreaming of a slower pace of life, which the countryside can offer.”

One in six (16%) would like to live ‘off-grid’ and move away from a reliance on modern technology such as Wi-Fi and mainstream utilities, to achieve the simple life.

The survey results also showed that millennials were amongst those who aspire to the simple life with 36% of 25-34 year olds wanting to escape the city.

For more information, please visit www.emooil.co.uk.

Things that attract us to life in the country:

r More relaxed lifestyle – 52%

r Close to nature - 45%

r Sense of community - 31%

r Safer environment for children to grow up – 27%

r Lower level of pollution – 19%

r Living ‘off-grid’ – 16%