Adults under 25 are more likely to have Alan Sugar or Richard Branson as their role models than Paris Hilton or Madonna, according to a survey.

Adults under 25 are more likely to have Alan Sugar or Richard Branson as their role models than Paris Hilton or Madonna, according to a survey.

A quarter of 18- to 25-year-olds polled by financial services group Standard Life aspire to be business leaders like Sugar or Branson, with only one per cent wanting simply to be a celebrity such as Hilton.

Eight per cent dream of being a pop star like Lily Allen or Madonna, while 18 per cent have visions of themselves as well-known academics such as Simon Schama or Richard Dawkins. Others hope to do charitable work (ten per cent) or become famous actors (one per cent).

In contrast, some 25 per cent of young people do not aspire to be like any well-known personality. That figure increases to 65 per cent among 55-year-olds, the so-called “baby boom” generation.

John Lawson, head of pensions at Standard Life, comments, ‘Baby boomers are the generation most confident of who they are and how they want to live.’

The survey was conducted by YouGov, with 2,106 adults polled earlier this month.