Research by LifeSearch has incited a #LetsStartTalking campaign after findings revealed nearly a quarter (24%) of Brits avoid talking to friends, family, and colleagues about death.
Even though the death of a loved one can have a huge impact, both financially and emotionally, research found that UK adults were too embarrassed to talk about money (24%), sex (33%), and religion and politics (22%) due to awkwardness (20%) or fear of upsetting the other person (28%).
From a survey of 2000 adults, more than a quarter of Brits have been affected by death following the loss of a loved one who had no known contingency in place if the worst happened. Remarkably, almost half of these people were left to deal with unforeseen bills, between £1,000 and £5,000, such as funeral costs and outstanding commitments.
Of the 2000 surveyed, 74% did not know whether their parents had life cover and over half (55%) would only discover their loved ones’ contingency plan after they have passed away.
However, late last year the Government considered new rules to police the funeral industry after ‘ITV News Show UK’ revealed consumers were spending billions of pounds on their funeral before they pass away to avoid rising funeral costs.
Furthermore, following concerns over escalating prices, Competition and Markets Authority launched a market study in 2018 which revealed an exploitative funeral sector – showing prices had increased by two thirds in the past decade.
Tom Baigrie, CEO of Lifesearch comments on the research. He said: “We all know how uncomfortable it can be talking about death and money with those close to us, but we speak to hundreds of people every day who simply aren’t having conversations that could save them serious emotional and financial pain,”
“It is our firm belief that communication is a two-way thing and we want to help people up and down the UK embrace that and protect the lives they love.
Baigrie comments further about the millennial cohort being the worst offenders. He adds: “Despite being the most connected generation in history, millennials are some of the worst culprits for not discussing the major issues with family members. This group make up what we call the ‘in-betweeners: UK adults in their 20s and 30s who are constantly worried and stressed about their own health and financial wellbeing, but vastly under-protected from life’s unforeseen.”
“This is the tip of the iceberg in a report that shows the extent to which Brits are not communicating. We know from our front line work at LifeSearch what the impact – financial, emotional and psychological – of non-communication can mean.”
With the UK population getting older, thinking about mortality seems a long way away so many people choose to overlook making plans for the future. There is also a perception that making a Will is a time-consuming, complicated and expensive process. As such, it’s something that many people put off for another day. Kings Court Trust ‘The Will Writing Industry in 2018’ findings revealed that 45% of adults have a Will which is an increase on 39% from 2017 – which still means a large percentage are most at risk of dying intestate as they still do not have a Will.
Unbelievably specific life events did not seem to encourage people to draft their Will, as only just over a quarter (26%) of adults with children aged 4 years and under have reported having a Will in place. Statistics also showed that 58% of adults who are married or in a civil partnership have a Will, by way of comparison, only 30% of adults who are living as married (what is known as ‘cohabiting’) have a Will. Whether you are married or not these results highlight the need for countless adults to prepare their Wills to ensure their loved ones are protected and their wishes are carried out to the letter.
Another campaign which highlights the importance of talking about dying, death and bereavement is Dying Matters Awareness Week. Annually in May, Dying Matters host a national awareness week, in 2019 it will run from 13th – 19th May with their theme being ‘Are We Ready?’.
The aim is to encourage the public to talk about death to those close to them and will be encouraging people to write a Will; record their funeral wishes; plan their future care and support; consider registering as an organ donor and telling loved ones your wishes.
In 2018, a study was undertaken by Co-op into post-life matters which speculates that 18 million people find it increasingly difficult to consider and talk about their death. Of these, 13 million people understood that they needed to communicate about such matters, but the conversation would be held begrudgingly. There is no doubt that planning for death is a morbid process and can seem macabre as it involves thinking of a time when we are not around – yet it seems that many Brits still continue to find it a difficult and awkward conversation to have and shy away from it.
