The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has released a report titled ‘The Concerns of Gen Z,’ sponsored by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA), which explores the unique financial challenges facing Generation Z and their implications for long-term retirement security. Despite the benefits of automatic enrolment  in workplace pensions, Gen Z's ability to save is hindered by economic uncertainty, high student debt, unaffordable housing, and gig economy employment lacking pension provisions. The report suggests that if these issues are not addressed, the pensions system may fail to provide adequate security for this generation as they approach retirement. The report also proposes potential policy interventions to address these challenges, urging policymakers to adapt the pensions system to reflect the modern employment landscape and ensure the long-term viability of pension provision. Shantel Okello, a Policy Researcher at PPI, stresses that these concerns have profound implications not only for the economic stability of Gen Z but for the sustainability of the pension system as a whole.

The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has published a technical report examining the efficacy of the current UK pension system in facilitating positive later life outcomes. The report, utilises data from various sources to track progress over time across three crucial stages: saving for retirement, the act of retiring, and living as a pensioner. The report reveals that automatic enrolment has markedly increased pension coverage, with active participation rising from 48% in 2011 to 79% by 2021. Defined Contribution schemes have gained prominence, now covering half of all employees. However, the report highlights growing disparities, with relative pensioner poverty increasing from 13% to 16% over the past decade. The retirement landscape is evolving, characterised by later retirement ages, particularly for women due to State Pension age increases, and more complex retirement pathways. While private pensions now constitute a larger proportion of retirement income, the share derived from benefits has decreased. These changes underscore the need for enhanced guidance and advice to navigate the increasingly complex pension decisions facing UK retirees.

The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has published its fourth edition of the UK Pensions Framework, highlighting concerns about the impact of rising inequality on the UK pension system. The report, titled ‘Red Sky in the Morning?’, highlights that while recent pension reforms have had some success, persistent gaps in pension coverage and contributions, coupled with widening health and wealth inequalities, pose significant risks to retirement security. The PPI stresses that the government's upcoming Pensions Review is crucial for addressing these challenges. Key issues identified include the growing disparity in health and life expectancy between socioeconomic groups, the strong correlation between employment type and pension savings ability, and the projected increase in pensioners renting privately due to falling home ownership rates. The PPI urges policymakers to view these trends as early warning signals and to develop targeted strategies that can build on existing successes while addressing emerging risks in wealth, health, housing, and employment.

The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has published an independent report, ‘Pension scheme assets - a deep dive into alternatives’, exploring how patterns in investment into alternatives have changed in the past, where investment is today, and how it might change in future, and asks what all this means for schemes and members. The report concludes that there is evidence of significant change both in asset markets and pension scheme asset allocation to play out over the medium term and that the launch of the PPI’s asset strands programme provides an opportunity to track these changes more closely and see the extent to which schemes and members can benefit from the potential differential returns promised from exposure to alternatives. Next year, the PPI intends to update and expand its asset strands project with a more detailed survey.

The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has published an independent research report into the government’s proposed Lifetime Provider Model to minimise the build up of small, deferred member pension pots in the future. The report examines potential impact of the Lifetime Provider Model on key stakeholders such as members, industry, pension providers, and employers.

The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has published ‘The DC Future Book 2026’, projecting that employees aged 45–54 in 2026 could have smaller defined contribution (DC) pension pots at State Pension age than neighbouring age groups. The report estimates a median pot of £63,000 for this group, compared with £70,000 for those aged 55–64 and £74,000 for those aged 35–44. These figures are expressed in 2026 earnings terms and do not represent total retirement income.

The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has published an independent research report sponsored by NOW: Pensions and entitled ‘The Underpensioned: Defining the Gender Pension Gap’. The report examines what the gender pensions gap (GPG) is, how labour market inequalities contribute towards it and how it is impacted by the differences in pension provision between the genders.

The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has published an independent research report entitled 'What could effective pensions engagement look like?’. The report explores the range of factors that can impact the level of engagement that can feasibly be achieved, the benefits and risks associated with engagement and the ways in which engagement strategies can be strengthened.

The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has published the second report in its ‘From Payslip to Pension: Life Course Impacts on Retirement Saving Among Low Earners’ series. The report examines how the life courses of low earners interact with workplace pension savings and is published as the Pensions Commission examines pension adequacy. The series, funded by a grant from the Nuffield Foundation, will run until summer 2026 and comprise five individual reports in total.

The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has published the results of its ‘Lost Pensions: The scale of the challenge’ survey, revealing that over 3 million UK pension pots remain lost, with a lower-bound estimate of £18.7 billion in total assets and an average pot value of £6,220. Supported by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), the survey covers around 75% of the workplace defined contribution (DC) market by pot numbers. Its revised methodology means the findings are not directly comparable with previous estimates, and some lost pension wealth may not be fully captured. Most lost pots (81.88%) belong to members aged under 55, which the report attributes to restrictions on accessing pension savings, employment patterns, automatic enrolment and higher job mobility among younger workers. Although members aged over 75 hold only 0.26% of all lost pots, 13% of all pots in this age group are considered lost. Women’s lost pots are worth over 20% less on average than men’s, at £5,370 compared with £6,830. The survey also includes exploratory evidence on defined benefit (DB) pensions for the first time. This suggests that lost entitlements exist across scheme types and may affect member outcomes, but improved data are needed to establish their scale and value reliably.

The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has published the third report in its ‘From Payslip to Pension: Life Course Impacts on Retirement Saving Among Low Earners’ series.The report projects retirement outcomes for low earners under current automatic enrolment policy. The report concludes that retirement adequacy challenges persist across profiles, highlighting the influence of housing costs, household circumstances and the need for policy interventions to better support low earners.

The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has published a report ‘Pension scheme assets – how is asset allocation changing and why?’, analysing how pension assets were allocated in 2024 amid cross-sector policy reforms, the Mansion House Accord and geo-political uncertainty. The report, a follow up to its 2024 report ‘Pension scheme assets – how they are invested and how and why they change over time’, reveals that total UK pension assets increased by 11% to £3.2trn, with defined benefit (DB) scheme funds and annuities accounting for just under two-thirds of these assets. The PPI estimates that 6% of these assets are invested in UK productive assets—including private equity, property, and other alternatives—with DB schemes at the forefront. When combined with investments in UK corporate bonds and listed equities, the share of assets in UK productive markets rises to 20%, led by annuity providers. Overall, nearly half (44%) of UK pension fund assets are held in equities and alternatives, while £1.4trn is invested in UK assets, with UK government bonds comprising the largest share.