A poll of more than 2,000 adults on behalf of insurer LV= found the trigger figure was £1m for every age group except the over-55s, who said they would stop work for £500,000.

Playing the lottery represented most respondents’ best hope of receiving the money, they said.

However, before putting it into savings, most of those polled said they would invest some of the cash or splash out on a luxury purchase.

Almost half (48%) said they would buy a property, while 37% would go on holiday or travel the world. Elsewhere, nearly a third (31%) said they would clear outstanding debts such as loans and credit cards, while a similar number (30%) would give a sizeable sum away to friends, family or charity.

Just under a fifth (18%) also said they would buy a new car.

Ray Chinn, LV= head of pensions and investments, said: “£1m seems to be the magic number that people would give up the day job for at any age, but reality takes a little more financial planning than keeping your fingers crossed.

“It’s shocking that such a high number of people are actually hoping for a lottery miracle to fund their life when they stop working. With odds of 14 million to one for winning the National Lottery, and 76 million to one for the EuroMillions, unfortunately it probably won’t be you.”