Articles

LV= Wealth and Wellbeing Research Programme, edition 19

How people in the UK feel about their finances and wellbeing

28 February 2025

5 minutes

Our research gives a unique view of the UK’s financial and emotional health

This helps us understand the hopes and concerns of the nation, allowing us to better serve our members and communities. This edition highlights how people look into personal finance topics and how prepared people feel for retirement.

Our latest data takes a look at:

Whether people are researching or asking for financial advice.
Where people are getting their financial information from.
How prepared people are for retirement.
Key resources to help you increase your financial confidence.

Key resources

Key findings:

Financial advice

Over a quarter say they’ve never researched or asked for advice on their personal finances.

50% of UK adults said they had done some research
29% said they had done no research
16% said they felt knowledgeable enough to make decisions without research or advice

Seeking advice can help you make the best of your finances and help you plan for the future, read our guide to find out more.

29% have never researched or asked for advice on their personal finances

18% have used blogs, podcasts or social media as a source of financial information

Information sources

People told us they’re using a variety of sources for information to help them make decisions on personal finances.

30% have used consumer education websites
25% have asked for advice from family and friends
18% have used blogs, podcasts or social media for research and advice

It’s important to get your information from credible sources. Learn more about how to check your sources are reliable.

Retirement planning

Many people are not keeping track of their pension savings or talking to their partners about their plans, perhaps leading to many not feeling confident about retirement. Of non-retired adults:

54% are not confident that they'll have enough saved to be comfortable when they retire
Only 22% have looked at their pension value in the last year
Of those that have a partner, only 18% have discussed retirement plans with them

Having conversations and keeping track of your retirement savings can help you plan for a comfortable future.

Read our guide to how much you should contribute to your pension.

Only 22% have looked at their pension value in the past year

Key resources

Reliable financial information

Using credible sources when researching financial information.

Reliable financial information article

Getting advice

Getting financial advice can boost your confidence about retirement.

Getting advice guide

Saving for retirement

How much should you contribute to your pension?

Saving for retirement guide

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Financial confidence

The right knowledge could help you to increase your financial confidence and plan for a secure future

A broker or financial adviser can help you plan your finances and make the most of your money. These services may involve some fees.
For free financial support, advice and guidance, use trusted sources such as MoneyHelper, Citizens Advice, StepChange and National Debtline.
Our guide on how much you should contribute to your pension.
Everything you need to know about the state pension.
Understanding your retirement options such as annuity or drawdown.

There’s plenty more to help you in our pensions and retirement guides and life insurance guides section.

A message from our CEO

“It’s interesting to see the different ways people research personal finance.

While online resources can help general understanding, we’re keen to make sure consumers seek reliable, independent advice before making important decisions.”

David Hynam, Chief Executive, LV=

LV= surveyed 4,000 nationally representative UK adults via an online omnibus conducted by Opinium in December 2024. UK population stats from ONS. Total UK adult population is 54.2m UK adults (aged 18+).