If they had to pick, Americans today would rather have a life outside the office than a lofty salary, a new survey finds.

More Americans will choose a better work-life balance in place of more money, according to Prudential's Pulse of the American Worker survey conducted by Morning Consult in June 2019 and released by Prudential on August 22. In fact, nearly 1 in 4 workers would actually take a pay cut in favor of more time off.

The survey asked 2,000 full-time employees a series of online questions between June 3 and June 5, 2019.

The biggest factor in achieving a better work-life balance is having the flexibility to work from home or take time off. Outside of compensation, 48% of respondents to the Prudential survey said a flexible work schedule is the biggest factor to stay with their current employer, 35% said they value the opportunities to move into different roles in their organization, and 25% said they stay because of a supportive manager.

Read more: While CEOs like Jack Ma and Elon Musk praise grueling job schedules, employees around the world are demanding shorter workweeks

It's not just workers desiring more of a life outside the office — science says employees can actually perform better by working less. Experts say shorter workweeks lead to more productivity, in part because workers have trouble concentrating on tasks for longer than three hours.

Science, too, suggests that money isn't always the best way to motivate workers.

Here's why that is — and how employers can more effectively motivate their employees.