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Pensions & Retirement

Pension adequacy concerns remain as most savers keep contributions steady – Pensions UK

61% of households wanted all pensions combined automatically, and 77% wanted to see all their pensions in one place.

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Pension adequacy concerns remain as most savers keep contributions steady – Pensions UK
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Households continued to face cost-of-living pressures, with 44% saying their financial situation was worse than a year ago, according to research from Pensions UK. 

Despite this, only 4% reduced pension contributions. 

People were more likely to cut spending on eating out, takeaways, holidays and even general savings than pension payments.

65% agreed people should be encouraged to make higher contributions, while 87% expected the Government to ensure pensions provided good value for money. 

61% wanted all pensions combined automatically, and 77% wanted to see all their pensions in one place. 

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79% agreed it should be easy to choose how their pension is invested. 

Most of these priorities matched proposals in the Pension Schemes Bill, including action on small pots and a value for money framework.

Only 18% thought the full State Pension, around £12,000 a year, was enough to live on in retirement. 

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62% said it was not enough. 

89% wanted the State Pension to always rise with the cost of living. 

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When asked about government priorities, keeping the State Pension in line with inflation (58%) and making it enough to live on (56%) were top concerns. 

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Other requests included simpler tax rules (28%) and better financial education for young people (26%).

Zoe Alexander, executive director of policy and advocacy at Pensions UK, said: “Households are under pressure, but what really stands out is that people are continuing to save through automatic enrolment, and indeed 65% of people believe contributions should go up. 

“This demonstrates both the value people place on retirement security and the power of automatic enrolment. 

“It puts the onus on politicians and industry, and the current Pensions Commission, to make sure the system works well for as many savers as possible.”

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Alexander added: “Pensions UK will be supporting the Commission through its own research on automatic enrolment system design.

“Encouragingly, many of the reforms in the Pension Schemes Bill, such as action on small pots, guided retirement products and a new value for money regime, reflect what the public want and what Pensions UK has long called for.

“Our research shows that people want Government to focus on protecting the value of pensions and helping them grow steadily over time.”

She said: “Decisions about how pensions invest should always be based on what is best for savers, not short-term policy aims, otherwise people could face unnecessary risks. 

“The best way to deliver strong outcomes is for schemes to make investment decisions in the long-term interests of members.”

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