High pollution and cost of living are the main drivers, with 9% willing to take more than 40% pay cut to shift, reveals an online survey by the Economictimes.com.Pollution has clearly emerged as the top reason for wanting to shift out of a metro to a tier 2/3 city for most of the age groups.28% of respondents aged 36-45 years want to shift out of metros in the next 5 years.The urgency to move out is obvious, with 30% wanting to shift out in five years, and another 26% just waiting for the right job to come along.Superior quality of infrastructure and good connectivity in metros have come out as the top reasons for respondents who want to stick around and not shift to tier 2/3 cities.29% respondents with a monthly income of Rs 1-1.5 lakh are willing to take a salary cut of 11-25% while shifting to a tier 237% of the respondents aged 26-35 years are just waiting for a good job option to shift out of metros.30% respondents earning more than Rs 2 lakh a month refuse to compromise and will shift to a tier 2 city only if there is no salary cut.79% respondents earning Rs 1.5-2 lakh a month want to stay in metros because of availability of better medical facilities. Better infrastructure is the top reason for 68% of respondents in the Rs 50,000-1 lakh income group.36-45 years: The age group that is most inclined to stay in metros, with 37% not wanting to move to tier 2 cities.One in four respondents in the 26-35 year age group is considering a tier 2 city that has good jobs and facilities.Footnote: The online survey was conducted among 3,271 respondents from 21-24 October 2019, by Economictimes.com. All responses do not add up to 100% due to multiple choices.