The survey by secured loan broker Ocean Finance also found that people aged 18 to 24 are most likely to want to live near work with 44% wishing to do so and 52% wanting to be near family.
Overall some 60%, equivalent to 30.1 million people, said that they consider safety to be one of the three most important factors when considering where to live, while 49% would make finding somewhere quiet a priority. Only 1% said they would like to live in a lively area.
The survey asked 2,061 people to select the three most important criteria for choosing a new home, whether to buy or rent, outside the actual property itself.
Other factors considered important by those questioned included 35% giving importance to the availability of parking, 27% citing closeness of family and local public transport links and 25% being near schools or within a certain catchment area.
When asked to select the two criteria which would most put them off a property, being sited in an area known for crime came top, with 72% of adults saying this would discourage them. Londoners had the highest tolerance for crime in the UK, with 60% saying it would put them off.
Areas of high crime were followed by being located near a sewage works which would deter 43% and being under a flight path or near an airport would put off 25%. And although some people may dream of being right next door to a pub or restaurant, 14% said it would definitely put them off moving in.
‘The old adage about the three most important factors when choosing a property being location, location and location hasn’t changed but it is interesting to see what factors drive that choice of location. Whilst avoiding areas of high crime is obvious, the importance of being able to park nearby and avoiding noise may be less so,’ said Ian Williams of Ocean Finance.
‘Of course, finding a property you can afford to buy or rent is the main driver, but as a nation we remain very clear about where we do, and don’t, want to live,’ he added.
