Marvin OnumonuResearch from PensionBee found most Brits are still putting off pension action despite good intentions at the start of the new year.
A survey of 1,000 UK adults showed 53% had thought about their pension a fair amount or a great deal in 2025, but only 17% expected to review or increase their pension contributions in the next 12 months.
In total, 52% said they expected to review or make changes to their pension in 2026.
Of those, only 20% had a plan to do so and 32% had not yet taken any steps.
A third (33%) said reviewing their pension was not a priority at the moment.
The top financial priorities for the year ahead were building short-term savings (45%), saving for specific purchases (45%), and managing everyday finances (44%).
Debt remained a focus, with 35% saying paying down debt was a priority, 31% including it in their New Year’s resolutions, and 23% saying they would use spare money to reduce what they owe.
55% resolved to save more money in general, but only 14% said they would focus on improving their pension.
Lisa Picardo, chief business officer UK at PensionBee, said: “The UK is facing a retirement savings crisis, with 4-in-10, or nearly 15 million people, undersaving for retirement.
“For many, the immediate pressure of high living costs makes it difficult to prioritise the future over today’s needs, but others are left behind by structural gaps in the system.
“Without urgent action tomorrow’s retirees are on track to be poorer than today’s.”
Picardo added: “The current auto-enrolment framework excludes millions of ‘invisible workers’ such as the self-employed, low earners, and those juggling multiple part-time jobs.
“We desperately need a simpler, more inclusive pension system.
“That means expanding auto-enrolment to include invisible workers, getting them into the habit of saving and helping all those who can benefit from employer contributions where possible.”
She said: “And with millions of fragmented, or lost pension pots in the UK, the current slow and complex transfer process discourages savers from consolidating and makes retirement planning more difficult than it should be.
“We need to break down these barriers: a 10-day Pension Switch Guarantee would in one single move help the entire industry to reform, removing the administrative hurdles that exist, and helping to rebuild consumer trust.
“Whilst the cost of living crisis continues to weigh on people’s appetite and ability to save for their future, there’s absolutely nothing stopping the government from taking steps to make pension saving easier to manage, to help ensure everyone has a fighting chance of a comfortable retirement, regardless of how they work. Time is of the essence.”
