"Nearly a third of adults are now concerned about unexpected shocks, and for many, it would only take a single illness, injury or period out of work to turn that worry into reality."
- Jack Southcott - The Exeter
The latest data from The Exeter’s Consumer Health and Finance Tracker has found that nearly a third, or 29%, of UK adults are not confident that their household would be financially secure if an unexpected shock were to happen.
This is an increase of six percentage points year-on-year, up from 23% in 2025, with The Exeter reporting that confidence declined across every age group in 2026, not just those typically considered financially vulnerable.
Only one in five of those surveyed by The Exeter report feeling very confident in their family’s financial resilience, falling from 22% in 2025, while 15% believe day-to-day living costs would be the hardest thing for their family to manage if the worst happened.
In 2025, UK workers aged 25-34 were the most assured age group, with three-quarters confident they could cope with a financial shock. That figure has now dropped to two-thirds, one year on.
Meanwhile, 36% of the 'sandwich generation', which includes those aged 45-54, are not confident in the financial security of their family if something were to happen, and just one in ten report feeling very confident, the lowest of any age group.
53% of this age group are worried that, in the event of their death, their loved ones would find it difficult to manage day-to-day bills, financial affairs, mortgage payments or funeral costs.
Men continue to report higher financial confidence than women. 62% of men believe their families would be financially secure in the event of a shock, compared to 49% of women.
Additionally, 39% of women feel less financially secure than they did six months ago, compared to 34% of men, which The Exeter says may reflect the fact that women save £252 per month on average, while men save an average of £404.
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"It’s not uncommon for many people to overestimate how secure their family finances would be in the event of an unexpected event or income shock, but today’s data shows that financial resilience is weakening across the UK," Jack Southcott, head of protection proposition at The Exeter, said.
"Nearly a third of adults are now concerned about unexpected shocks, and for many, it would only take a single illness, injury or period out of work to turn that worry into reality.
"While the industry has made strong progress in improving customer outcomes under Consumer Duty, there remains a significant gap between those who would benefit from financial advice or protection and those who actually seek it. Closing that gap will be critical to improving financial resilience across the UK."
