ONE in three rural youngsters fear they will have to leave their area to find a job, reveals a study.

The survey - by rural insurer NFU Mutual - found there was a lack of suitable careers for rural teenagers and twenty-somethings.

Around one third said they would have to move to a town or city to get a job - even though they wanted to continue living in the countryside.

Almost 200 people aged 18 to 24 were polled.

The survey of 1,500 people found that older people agreed there were fewer employment opportunities than when they started work.

Rural routes to business success are also limited, found the study.

One in 10 respondents under 35 said they were unable to start their own business due to lack of finance.

NFU Mutual chairman Richard Percy said: "This study clearly highlights the urgent challenge faced by farms and rural businesses in the UK."

"The lack of financially viable opportunities for young people is potentially threatening the long-term viability of the entire sector.

"With the cost of living relatively high in the countryside, finding employment opportunities which pay sufficiently well to attract young people into the industry, especially if they are not already within a family business, can be extremely difficult."

Many young people starting careers in towns or cities return to the countryside later in life, the study suggests.

But confidence in the local rural economy is improving, with satisfaction scores rebounding by 5% over the last three months of 2012.

The NFU Mutual Countryside Living Index tracks sentiment and quality of life in the countryside every quarter.

Satisfaction overall remained stable in the fourth quarter of 2012, but concern around levels of crime rose slightly.