Nest receives mixed response in public poll

The message was heard by National Employment Savings Trust (Nest) staff, who took to the streets of London last week to launch a promotional campaign, quizzing the public on their views about long-term saving.

The response from the already retired centred largely around regret at not having saved enough, according to those conducting the poll.

They also said gathering input in the project from younger people was proving difficult, claiming they were unresponsive to being simply told workplace law is changing, and were uninterested in finding out about the changes.

But most of those who did respond said they would choose to save because they wanted to be able to afford the small luxuries they currently enjoy, such as drinking, socialising and going on holiday.

Others wanted to save for more philanthropic pursuits, with one unnamed woman saying she wanted to be able to afford to run her local choir, even after she retires.

The campaign, which will be rolled out through social media, warns people that if they do not save, they will not be able to afford to maintain the lifestyle they are used to – this was reinforced by pensioners who strongly advised the younger generation to start saving earlier to avoid poverty later on.

Tim Jones, chief executive of Nest, told PW: “Our research shows people only switch on to savings when you talk about the possibility of having a worse lifestyle in the future because they can’t afford to keep it up.”

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