ONCE, getting on the career ladder was the main aspiration for a middle-class twentysomething. Now a study has found that socialising with friends and going out in the evening are more important considerations for young professionals than working flat out for the next promotion.

One-third of people in the research, which looked at 25 to 34-year-olds, said socialising was the most important aspect of their lives. Almost half saw work as significant but not dominant, with only 16% putting careers as their top priority.

Put together by the market research company TNS, the report found that the trend was most pronounced among women, with 40% defying the career-girl stereotype and saying the main function of work was to fund a busy social life.

Despite repeated complaints about Britain’s “long-hours” culture and government campaigns to promote a “work-life balance”, the findings suggest that today’s young professionals are already rebelling against the all-pervading work ethic of the Thatcher generation.

Sherridan Hughes, director of Careermax, an occupational psychology company, said: “It’s a complete backlash from the Thatcher era, when everything was about economics and finance. Now it’s about the person and personal development.

“A few years back, if you went out clubbing and then went to work with a hangover you would never have mentioned it, whereas now it is more acceptable and the norm.”

Others believe the long economic boom, which has created a ready supply of well paid jobs, has blunted the competitive edge of many workers.

In addition, with increasing numbers of people putting off settling down into a long-term relationship until they have reached their thirties, young people have more disposable income to spend on enjoying themselves.

In the study more than 500 people were questioned about the relationship between their social and working lives. It found that 60% regularly go out to clubs on evenings during the working week and often stay out all night.

The study also found that respondents gave little thought to their financial security, with more than half of those questioned saying they spend every penny they earn and nearly one in five saying they spend more than they can afford.

Women were the least likely to save, spending their money on cosmetics, designer clothing and gym membership.

Sue Keane, a consumer psychologist, said: “They want to enjoy today instead of investing their energies in the vague possibility of an enjoyable future.

“High property prices mean this generation lives at home longer and is cushioned from the real cost of living associated with household bills. Consequently they have fewer financial commitments and more disposable income than their parents, so they can afford to enjoy themselves more.”

Sharon Wyness, 34, a recruitment consultant from east London who goes out at least four times a week, said she believed that enjoying herself and taking spontaneous decisions were “the whole point” of life.

Recently she booked a last-minute flight to Italy for a blind date at the suggestion of a friend and had a night out in the historic town of Farno near Rimini on the Adriatic coast. “I keep hair straighteners and a full set of make-up in the office, as you never know when you might have an impromptu night out and you might need to scrub up well,” she admitted.

Daniel Judge, 26, a project manager from Hertfordshire, also said he went out on average four nights a week to a mixture of pubs, bars and clubs. He admitted that sometimes he would wear the same clothes to work two days running as a result of an impulsive night out.

“If you knew everything that was going to happen, then life would be boring. You need a little bit of chaos thrown in as it keeps you on your toes,” he said.

“We have the opportunity now to be teenagers longer than our parents could. They married young so they had responsibilities, mortgages and children, whereas I’ve got no other real responsibilities apart from myself, so I can live life to the full.”

The findings in the study, sponsored by Wrigley’s, the chewing gum manufacturer, are backed up by other research. According to the Economic and Social Research Council, young people are increasingly likely to follow a teenage lifestyle until they have reached their thirties, regularly going out drinking and clubbing.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics point up the change in attitude. It found that women, on average, are not getting married until they are 29, compared with 23 in the 1960s. Men, on average, now wait until they are 31 before getting married, six years older than the average four decades ago.

A study carried out by the specialist travel agency gapyear.com also showed that young professionals aged 25 to 35 account for more than 60% of people who choose to take a year off work, because they want to live for the moment and not wonder “what was it all for?” when they retire.

Not everyone agrees with the findings. Ruth Lea, director of the Centre for Policy Studies, said young people were just as likely to take their careers seriously as before.

“People have always wanted a social life as well as going to work,” she said, “so this isn’t a sign of hedonism taking over. Deep down, nothing has changed in people’s thinking.”

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