by Natalie Chambliss | August 27, 2026
Moving Life Insurance to the Top of People’s To-Do List
Do a deep clean? Or figure out how much life insurance you need?
When it comes to checking things off their to-do list, most people would rather clean out their email inbox (39%) or their basement or garage (31%) than figure out how much life insurance they need. One in five adults said they’d be willing to sit on hold with customer service for three hours rather than doing life insurance planning.
This data comes from the 2026 Life Happens Life Insurance Survey, released in conjunction with September’s Life Insurance Awareness Month, the public awareness campaign that Life Happens created and coordinates each year.
Most people would rather clean out their email inbox (39%) than figure out how much life insurance they need.
So, for those who don’t have life insurance, where does it fall on their current to-do list? More than half of people aren’t in any hurry to get it done: They have it at the bottom of their list (9%), on the “deal with it later” list (21%) or not on their list at all (26%).
The results may not be surprising, given that life insurance comes with a lot of feelings: 40% say they feel anxious, overwhelmed—or both, when thinking about life insurance, while 16% admit to feeling guilty for putting it off.
40% say they feel anxious, overwhelmed—or both, when thinking about life insurance.
What is stopping them from looking into and getting the coverage they need? Cost concerns emerge as one of the biggest barriers. Overall, 64% say cost affects whether they look into life insurance, with 32% of those saying it affects their decision “a lot.”
While some have already addressed their needs and feel confident, others remain uncertain even after taking action, suggesting that completing the task does not always eliminate confusion. The divide between genders is telling: 53% of men say they have life insurance and are confident they have enough, while only 41% of women say the same. Generationally, Gen Z seems the most confident in their decision that they have enough life insurance (53%) versus 46% of Millennials and 40% of Gen X.
Encouragingly, the findings indicate that perceptions can be shifted through education and reassurance. Overall, 55% say if they learned that life insurance may be easier to get than they expected, they would be “more likely” to start the process, including 30% who say they would be “much more likely.”
Overall, 64% say cost affects whether they look into life insurance, with 32% of those saying it affects their decision “a lot.”
Here is what people said would specifically make them more likely to look into life insurance:
|
Total |
Gen Z |
Millennials |
Gen X |
| Knowing it may cost less than I assumed |
30% |
28% |
31% |
30% |
| A recommendation from someone I trust |
24% |
27% |
25% |
20% |
| An online calculator to see how much I need |
22% |
25% |
23% |
16% |
| A major life event (baby, home, job) |
21% |
28% |
22% |
11% |
| A conversation with an insurance professional |
20% |
24% |
19% |
16% |
Overall, the research suggests that reducing perceived complexity, correcting cost misconceptions, and offering digital tools and professional guidance could help move life insurance to the top of people’s to-do list.
Methodology: Life Happens commissioned Atomik Research to conduct an online survey of 2,000 adults, including 700 Gen Z respondents, 700 millennials, and 600 Gen X respondents throughout the United States. The margin of error for the overall sample is +/- 2 percentage points and +/- 4 percentage points for each generational sample, with a confidence level of 95 percent. Fieldwork took place between July 14 and July 20, 2026.
Please source all statistics cited: 2026 Life Happens Life Insurance Survey
Discover more
For more information on this study and its methodology, view our press release.
by Natalie Chambliss | June 17, 2026
What Consumers Want (and Need): Education, Customization and Professional Advice
The Insurance Barometer Study, now in its 16
th year, tracks consumers’ perception about life insurance and related products. More than a decade and a half of data helps paint a picture of what products consumers think they have, what they are interested in buying and what might be stopping them from doing so.
Life insurance ownership (reported as what consumers say they have) has stayed steady for a number of years at about half of adults (52%). Additionally, there is a consistent number of those who don’t have it, but recognize they need it (29%), and those who have life insurance and say they need more (9%). This gives the industry 99 million adults who could use help getting coverage.
-
Gen Z
44%
44%
-
Millennials
50%
50%
-
Gen X
58%
58%
And why is that? It may be a mix of factors, starting with lack of knowledge. Education is key to changing minds and habits, and 4 in 10 adults say they are only somewhat or not at all knowledgeable about life insurance.
Then we can add in the steady-state reasons people have given over the years for not having coverage: perceived cost (45%), other financial priorities (35%), confusion over what kind or how to buy (23%) and procrastination (23%). These numbers are much more elevated with the younger generations. (See chart.) While we may not be able to directly address “other financial priorities,” the other three reasons are straightforward to educate people and motivate them to purchase coverage.
of consumers 30 and younger correctly priced a basic life insurance policy.
Reasons Gen Z and Millennials don’t own life insurance:
|
Gen Z |
Millennials |
| Not sure how much I need or what type to buy |
33% |
28% |
| Haven’t gotten around to it |
33% |
31% |
LTCI and DI Misconceptions
Misunderstanding about products also extends into disability insurance (DI) and long-term care insurance (LTCI) as well.
This year’s survey asked a series of true/false questions on disability insurance, which reveal lack of knowledge in large segments of the market:
- 52% don’t think they can get DI outside of their employer
- 40% believe they need full medical underwriting to get short-term DI
- 27% think long-term DI pays their full salary until they return to work
And when it came to long-term care coverage, there are also large knowledge gaps, including:
- 58% erroneously believe LTCI requires policyholders to “use it or lose it”
- 57% think LTCI is more expensive than the average cost of care
- 71% think LTCI is too expensive
People do want help from an insurance agent or financial professional, despite the proliferation of things like AI tools and simplified issue to reduce friction in getting coverage. In fact,
45% say they already work with a professional, and 26% say they are currently looking for one to work with.
The survey asked respondents who have or are seeking a financial professional which contact method they prefer when they have an insurance, investment, or savings question. The top response (31%) across the generations was “in person,” and interestingly 29% for Millennials and Gen Z. Looking further, if you add telephone and video chat in to the “in person” response, 53% prefer speaking to a financial professional to other options.
Yet, we can’t discount what is also happening on social media, as 62% of adults say they use social media when seeking information on insurance and financial products and services, and 46% of those people say that keeping in touch with a financial professional on social media is important.
of consumers prefer in-person conversations.
What Will Motivate Them to Buy?
What
product enhancements would entice consumers to get coverage? When asked about features or add-ons to life insurance that would make it more appealing (keeping in mind some of these currently exist, while others don’t/may never), people said things they can leverage in the here-and-now, like
income during retirement and long-term care and critical illness coverage. They also responded favorably to
the ability to customize a policy/plan.
The survey also showed that many consumers would respond to things like a term-to-permanent conversion policy where they as the policyholder can initiate the changes, or a long-term care rider that can be added or added to in the future.
A policy that allows benefits to be used for critical illness if necessary
A policy that allows benefits to be used for long-term care services if necessary
Having health screenings to lower the cost of coverage
Taking health courses to lower the cost of coverage
Sharing fitness/wellness data with your insurer to lower the cost of coverage
Financial Woes, but We Have Solutions
The Barometer Study also asks questions about people’s general financial well-being. Over the years, participants have expressed the same group of top financial concerns: having enough money for a comfortable retirement, being able to save for an emergency fund, supporting themselves through a disability and paying for long-term care services.
The good news is that our industry is uniquely poised with products and services to help them with three of those four concerns.
Additionally, around half of people said they would feel the financial impact of the “loss” of the primary wage earner due to disability (51%) or death (46%) within six months.
The industry has work to do, but it has the products and the expertise to help consumers solve these concerns.
Supporting self through disability
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For more information on this study and its methodology, view our press release.
