Just over half of people (51%) think that younger generations face bigger financial struggles than their predecessors.
This was one of the findings of the Moneywise Great British Retirement Survey, a landmark piece of research in collaboration with our parent company interactive investor that gathered together both retirement experiences and expectations amongs 10,000 working and retired adults.
Retired respondents, in particular, were keen to share their views on the intergenerational divide, with many expressing sympathy for issues affecting younger generations including high property prices, student debt and declining occupational pension provision.
‘Young people won’t have the retirement we have’
As one respondent said: “They have awful pressure from a combination of repaying university costs, starting pension contributions, getting a deposit together for a first property, and relationship problems seem far more common these days and can prove expensive.”
Another said: “I do not believe that younger people will have the sort of retirement that my wife and I have had or for as long, as I don't think it will be affordable in the future. Younger people will have to work much longer and will not benefit from the final salary pension schemes.”
Final salary pensions and emotional well-being
In fact, separately our survey found a noticeable correlation between final salary pensions and emotional wellbeing in retirement.
Of those without a final salary pension, 31% say they will need to make adjustments to their lifestyle when they retire. This compares to just 19% of those with this type of pension which pays a guaranteed income for life. Similarly, 57% of final salary pension holders say their lifestyle will improve when they retire, compared to 49% of those that don’t.
As the number of people with final salary pensions continues to dwindle, the harder individuals will need to save to have a sufficient income in retirement.
However, while there was undoubtedly sympathy for the struggles faced by younger adults, this was often countered with a view that while many baby boomers may be well off now they weren’t always so comfortable.
Likewise, there was a very significant belief that younger generations had higher lifestyle expectations, didn’t know how to save and frittered their money away.
‘I started working aged 12’
As one respondent said: “I started part-time home working at the age of 12, part-time in the economy at the age of 15, had part-time jobs through university, was working three jobs a day and doing part-time study from 1979 to 1981 and went almost two years without any income during the 1990s recession.
However, youngsters from poorer backgrounds have even less chance of getting on the housing ladder in the South East than I had.
“Furthermore, the peer pressure to conform to the idea of buying designer clothes, mobile phones, etc, was non-existent in my youth (I was brought up on a council housing estate where everybody was poor).
"When I had no money, I went without. There seems to be an expectation today that nobody should go without, but there seem to be fewer jobs for youngsters to pick up some extra money.”
However, sympathy for the financial plight of millennials and the younger generation z does seem to wane with age. For those respondents aged 76 and over only 44% believed that younger generations have a tougher time financially.
Avocado shaming
Among those respondents who didn’t think younger generations have it any harder there was a degree of ‘avocado-shaming’ – the recent trend of calling out younger people for frittering away money on perceived extravagances such as avocado on toast and flat whites instead of saving up for longer-term expenses.
There was also a strong sense that younger people have different spending priorities.
“I don't think the younger generation take enough care with money. They spend today and don't worry about debt or tomorrow,” said one respondent.
Other comments included: “They do not pay 15% on mortgages as we did” and “they have so much money to spend on unnecessary tech items and do not save.” Another said: “I didn’t have enough money for tattoos or takeaways.”
Despite significant differences in opinion amongst the general population, government policy is shifting towards supporting younger generations.
In April this year, the House of Lords Committee on Intergenerational Fairness called on government to provide better support to younger people in areas including employment and housing.
Lord True, chair of the committee says: "We found that intergenerational bonds are still strong, and the evidence suggested both young and older people recognise the contribution the other makes and the challenges they face.
"However, there is a risk that those connections could be undermined if the Government does not get a grip on key issues such as access to housing, secure employment and fairness in tax and benefits."
Many of the policy recommendations involved reducing spending on older generations to pay for additional support for the young.
This included removing the triple lock on state pension increases (replacing it with increases linked to average earnings) and limiting the winter fuel allowance and free bus passes to older pensioners.
In June, meanwhile, the BBC announced over 75s would no longer get free TV licences (unless they claim pension credit).
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