61% of UK Adults Face Barriers When Considering Life Insurance, Research Finds

Published: 9 April 2026

More than three in five UK adults face at least one barrier when considering life insurance, with cost, uncertainty over claims and confusion about underwriting among the biggest concerns, according to new research commissioned by UnderwriteMe.

The study of 2,000 UK adults found that 61% encountered at least one obstacle when thinking about taking out life cover.

Cost was the most common concern, with 32% worried life insurance would be too expensive.

However, price was far from the only issue.

Around 21% were unsure whether an insurer would actually pay a claim, while 14% described the process as complicated or overwhelming. Another 14% said they would not know where to begin or who to trust when looking for cover.

For 11%, the barrier was simply delay: life insurance was something they intended to deal with later.

The findings suggest that the UK's protection gap is not solely about whether households recognise the financial consequences of death. Understanding how insurance is priced, what information insurers need and where to start can also prevent people from taking action.

Pricing uncertainty is adding to consumer frustration

UnderwriteMe's research also found significant uncertainty around how life insurance prices are calculated.

Around 51% of respondents said they would be frustrated if an initial quoted price increased after they answered more detailed underwriting questions.

Although 66% recognised that factors such as medical history, occupation, hobbies and family health can influence pricing, almost a quarter — 24% — remained unsure how those factors affect the final premium.

A further 10% did not believe they affected the price at all.

That matters because the cheapest price initially displayed to a customer may not necessarily be the price ultimately offered once an insurer understands their individual circumstances.

Age, smoking status, health, medical history, occupation, policy term and the amount of cover requested can all influence underwriting.

Cost remains the biggest single barrier

Affordability was the most commonly identified obstacle in the research.

That does not necessarily mean life insurance will be expensive for every applicant.

Premiums vary considerably depending on the person being insured and the type and amount of cover requested.

It also means choosing an appropriate level of protection matters.

Someone looking for £500,000 of cover lasting 40 years will generally be asking an insurer to take on a different risk from someone looking for £100,000 over 15 years.

The objective therefore should not automatically be to buy the largest amount of insurance possible.

Our guide to how much life insurance you may need looks at mortgages, income, children, debts, savings and workplace benefits together.

For some households, a smaller policy protecting the most important commitments may be more useful than a larger policy whose premiums become difficult to maintain.

One in five remain unsure whether insurers will pay

The finding that 21% of adults were unsure whether insurers would pay a claim highlights another challenge for the protection industry.

Annual claims reporting generally shows that the large majority of valid life insurance claims are paid.

But consumer confidence depends on understanding why a policy might not pay as well as seeing headline acceptance percentages.

Life insurance is a contract.

A policy needs to remain active, the event must fall within the policy terms and information supplied during the application needs to be accurate.

This is why questions asked during underwriting matter.

Medical underwriting is not simply pass or fail

Consumers can also be discouraged because they assume a medical condition, medication or other health issue will automatically prevent them getting insurance.

That is not necessarily the case.

Depending on the circumstances, an insurer might:

  • Offer cover at its standard price
  • Offer cover at a higher premium
  • Ask for additional medical information
  • Request a GP report or other evidence
  • Postpone making a decision
  • Decline the application

Different insurers can also assess the same medical history differently.

Someone with a pre-existing condition should therefore not necessarily assume that one medical issue makes life insurance unavailable.

Our guide to getting life insurance with a pre-existing medical condition explains how health, treatment history and ongoing investigations can affect an application.

The important point is to disclose information accurately rather than attempting to decide what the insurer does or does not need to know.

Why does the initial price sometimes change?

The research suggests that changing prices during the application journey can undermine confidence.

There is, however, an important distinction between an initial illustration or quote based on limited information and the final premium offered after underwriting.

An insurer may initially know someone's age, smoking status and required cover.

Later it may learn about medical conditions, occupation, family medical history or other information relevant to the risk.

That can change the eventual terms.

Greater transparency around why the questions are being asked — and what might affect the price — could therefore help reduce some of the frustration identified in the research.

Nilesh Patel, chief revenue and customer officer at UnderwriteMe, said uncertainty over what influences the final price can be enough for some consumers to delay taking out cover even when they recognise its potential value.

Complexity can lead to people doing nothing

Life insurance has a relatively straightforward core purpose: providing a financial payment if the insured person dies during the policy term and a valid claim is made.

The decisions surrounding it can be less straightforward.

Consumers may need to consider:

  • How much cover is needed
  • How long the policy should last
  • Level or decreasing cover
  • Joint or separate policies
  • Whether critical illness cover is relevant
  • Whether workplace death-in-service cover is already available
  • Whether the policy should be written in trust
  • Whether regular income or a lump sum would better suit the family

Some policies also work differently.

Family income benefit, for example, is designed to provide regular payments for the remaining policy term rather than simply one large lump sum.

Our guide to family income benefit and how it differs from term insurance explains how that structure works.

These are legitimate considerations, but trying to solve every question at once can contribute to the sense that protection is complicated.

Existing resources should be counted first

The UnderwriteMe findings should not be interpreted as meaning that the 61% facing barriers necessarily need to buy life insurance.

Some people may have little financial need for cover.

Others may already have substantial protection through:

  • Existing life insurance
  • Death-in-service benefits
  • Pension death benefits
  • Savings
  • Investments
  • A partner's income
  • Other family resources

The more useful starting point is to ask what would happen financially if the person died.

Our guide to whether you really need life insurance looks at that question in more detail.

Someone with no dependants and few financial commitments may reach a very different conclusion from a parent with young children and a large mortgage.

Younger adults reported more confusion

The research also found differences between age groups.

Around one in five adults aged 18 to 34 said they did not know where to begin when looking at life insurance.

That compared with 15% of those aged 35 to 54 and just 8% among people aged 55 and over.

Younger adults were also more likely to describe the process as confusing or overwhelming.

This is significant because major reasons for considering life insurance — buying a first home, having children or becoming financially interdependent with a partner — often arise during those earlier working years.

A lack of understanding at that stage can therefore result in people postponing the question until later.

The research points to an information gap as well as a protection gap

Cost remains important, particularly when household budgets are already stretched.

But UnderwriteMe's findings suggest the challenge facing the protection market is wider than affordability alone.

Consumers are also asking:

Will the insurer actually pay?

Why has my price changed?

What information do I need to provide?

How much cover do I need?

And who can I trust to explain it?

Those are questions the industry can potentially address through clearer explanations, more transparent underwriting and easier access to appropriate guidance.

For consumers, the research is not a reason to rush into buying insurance.

It is a reminder that uncertainty about the process should be separated from the underlying financial question.

If nobody would be financially affected by a death, life insurance may not be necessary.

If a partner, children or other dependants would face a substantial financial shortfall, understanding the options becomes more important.

The challenge highlighted by the research is making that decision understandable enough for people to reach an informed conclusion rather than postponing it simply because the process feels too difficult.

Sources

  • COVER — Two thirds of adults face barriers to securing life cover, 9 April 2026
  • UnderwriteMe — UK consumer research into life insurance purchasing, underwriting and pricing, 2026

Important information

This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial or insurance advice. Life insurance premiums, underwriting decisions and policy terms vary according to the insurer, product and individual circumstances.