Most Londoners think it would be preferable for a child to grow up outside of the capital, according to a new poll.
When asked to imagine themselves as an infant again, more than half (52 per cent) of those surveyed said they would choose to spend their early years in another part of the UK rather than live in London.
More than two fifths (43 per cent) also felt their city was a 'bad place' to bring up children, results from the YouGov survey show.
Similar numbers of people said London was not suited to elderly residents. More than half (52 per cent) said it was a 'bad place' to grow old, while slightly less (46 per cent) thought the capital's pensioners were enduring a worse existence than two decades ago.
Despite the statistics, the majority of people felt London was a good place to find a job, learn a new skill, make friends and fall in love.
They also agreed that it was a preferable location to go to university, start a new hobby and receive medical care.
Forty per cent of those polled thought the capital was best experienced while you're in your 20s, while almost a fifth said it was better in your 30s.
But concerns were raised over the number of people moving to the city, with 54 per cent saying London's population was growing 'far too fast' and 53 per cent saying housing should be Mayor Boris Johnson's top priority.
The survey took opinions from 1,136 Londoners between March 11-14. Read the results in full here.
