The second most popular career choice was car mechanic, while the least popular were cleaning jobs.
The majority of those surveyed were desperate for work, with nine out of 10 happy to work for the minimum wage if it put them on the first rung of the career ladder.
The survey also found that the influence of TV programmes such as X Factor and celebrity gossip have minimal impact on young people's career aspirations. Seven out of 10 had no aspiration to be famous and just one of the 16- to 21-year-olds who took part wanted to be a WAG.
Paul Fletcher, Rathbone director of policy, said: "Our survey showed that far from being lazy and unrealistic, these young people were level-headed and anxious to achieve.
"At a time when we have many arts graduates but very few affordable plumbers, we need to encourage this generation to prove themselves. That might be by giving them a taste of the workplace or by offering incentives to small businesses to take on more apprentices."
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