Less than one fifth of people plan to review or increase their pension contributions in the next 12 months, says PensionBee.
A survey by the pension provider showed that 53% of people say they have thought about their pension “a fair amount” or “a great deal” in 2025, however, only 17% expect to review or increase their pension contributions this year.
PensionBee said that even among those who understand they should act, there is apathy. Whilst 52% said they expected to review or make changes to their pension in 2026, only 20% have a plan to do so and 32% have not yet taken any steps.
Day-to-day money worries continue to dominate financial decision-making, with a third (33%) of adults admitting that reviewing their pension is not a priority.
The main priorities for people are building short-term savings (45%), saving for specific purchases (45%) and managing everyday finances (44%). Over a third (35%) would also like to pay off debt.
Lisa Picardo, chief business officer UK at PensionBee, said: “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 said the current auto-enrolment framework excludes millions of workers including the self-employed and low earners.
“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.”
Picardo said the slow and complex pension transfer process also discourages savers from consolidating and makes retirement planning more challenging.
“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,” Picardo added.
Main image: alexander-grey-igBvG1AKTY8-unsplash
