Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Over half of over-50s have not been involved in organising a funeral in the past 10 years
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- Figure 1: What people did to help with funeral arrangements in the past 10 years, May 2014
- Nearly half rely on their property to finance future funeral
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- Figure 2: Preparedness for own funeral, May 2014
- Over-50s express conventional preferences
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- Figure 3: Selected funeral wishes, May 2014
- Nearly seven in 10 prefer a funeral as a celebration of life
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- Figure 4: Attitudes towards funeral arrangements and ceremony, May 2014
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Overcoming the perception that talking about funerals is a taboo
- The facts
- The implications
- Encouraging adults to formalise their end-of-life plans
- The facts
- The implications
- Opportunities for less conventional approaches to drive further growth in the market
- The facts
- The implications
Trend Application
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- Trend: Open Diary
- Trend: Make it Mine
- Trend: Prepare for the Worst
Market Drivers
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- Key points
- Trends in population age structure
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- Figure 5: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2009-19
- Mortality rate
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- Figure 6: Trends in the number of deaths and crude death rate, UK, 2002-12
- General life expectancy
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- Figure 7: Life expectancy at birth, UK, 1980-82 to 2010-12
- Home ownership
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- Figure 8: Home ownership, by age, May 2014
- Acorn group
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- Figure 9: Acorn group, by age, May 2014
- Living situation
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- Figure 10: Detailed lifestage, by age, May 2014
- State support for funerals
- Impending shortage of burial sites
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- Figure 11: Trends in the proportion of cremations, 1980-2012
- Burials mired in time delays
Who’s Innovating?
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- Key points
- Personalisation
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- Figure 12: Examples of coffin designs from Creative Coffins, July 2014
- Eco-friendly innovation
- Digital innovation
- Fashion and celebrity influence
- Funerals on a budget
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- Components of funeral cost
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- Figure 13: Components of basic funeral cost
- Strong growth in the funerals market, despite falling mortality rate
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- Figure 14: UK funerals market value, at current and constant prices, 2009-19
- Market will repeat its strong performance in the next five years
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- Figure 15: Best- and worst-case forecast of UK funerals market, 2009-19
- Forecast methodology
Companies and Services
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- Market overview
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- Figure 16: Market shares of the UK funeral business, 2014
- The Co-operative
- Dignity
The Consumer – Involvement in Funeral Arrangements
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- Key points
- Females are key decision-makers in times of grief
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- Figure 17: Involvement in funeral arrangements, May 2014
- ABC1s adopt a more proactive approach to funeral organisation
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- Figure 18: Involvement in funeral arrangements, by social grade, May 2014
- Women more involved with funeral planning, whilst men contribute financially
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- Figure 19: What people did to help with funeral arrangements, by gender, May 2014
- Approach to funeral organisation varies by social grade
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- Figure 20: What people did to help with funeral arrangements, by social grade, May 2014
The Consumer – Willingness to Discuss Funeral Wishes
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- Key points
- The topic of death is steadily becoming less of a taboo
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- Figure 21: Willingness to talk about funeral arrangements with family, May 2014
- Mortality becomes more ‘real’ with age
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- Figure 22: Willingness to talk about funeral arrangements with family, by age, May 2014
- Openness to talking about funeral wishes wanes with education and social grade
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- Figure 23: Willingness to talk about funeral arrangements with family, by social grade and highest education level, May 2014
- Involvement in someone else’s funeral as trigger for thinking about one’s own
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- Figure 24: Willingness to talk about funeral arrangements with family, by prior involvement in funeral arrangements, May 2014
The Consumer – How Prepared are People for their Funeral
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- Key points
- Over a quarter unaware of the actual funeral costs
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- Figure 25: Awareness of funeral costs, March 2014
- Over-50s overconfident about meeting costs of their funeral
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- Figure 26: Level of consumer confidence in affording funeral costs, March 2014
- Over eight in 10 over-50s have done at least something to prepare for their deaths
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- Figure 27: Number of steps people have taken to prepare for their funeral, May 2014
- Making a will as a more cost-effective way of outlining final wishes
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- Figure 28: Preparedness for own funeral, May 2014
- Financial products related to funeral planning have lower uptake
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- Figure 29: Selected ways of preparing for own funeral, by age, May 2014
- Home-owners rely on value of their home to finance their funeral
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- Figure 30: Selected ways of preparing for own funeral, by housing situation, May 2014
The Consumer – Funeral Wishes
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- Key points
- Demand for cremations far outstrips that for burials
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- Figure 31: Selected funeral wishes, May 2014
- Interest in cremations rises with household income
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- Figure 32: Selected funeral wishes, by household income, May 2014
- Over-50s express conventional preferences for their funerals
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- Figure 33: Selected funeral wishes, May 2014
- Men show less engagement with own funeral planning
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- Figure 34: Selected funeral wishes, by gender and age, May 2014
The Consumer – Attitudes to Funeral Costs and Impact on Family
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- Key points
- Funerals as a celebration of life
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- Figure 35: Attitudes towards funeral arrangements and ceremony, May 2014
- Cost – not an issue
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- Figure 36: Attitudes to cost of funerals and impact on family, May 2014
- Women worry more about being a burden on their family
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- Figure 37: Attitudes to funeral arrangements and impact on family, May 2014
Appendix – The Consumer – Demographic Overview
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- Figure 38: Demographic overview – Gender and age, May 2014
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- Figure 39: Demographic overview – Age within gender, May 2014
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- Figure 40: Demographic overview – Social grade, May 2014
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- Figure 41: Demographic overview – Marital status and working status, May 2014
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- Figure 42: Demographic overview – Gross annual household income, May 2014
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- Figure 43: Demographic overview – Region, May 2014
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- Figure 44: Demographic overview – Household tenure and cards held, May 2014
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- Figure 45: Demographic overview – Acorn group, May 2014
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- Figure 46: Demographic overview – Household size, May 2014
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Appendix – The Consumer – Involvement in Funeral Arrangements
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- Figure 47: Involvement in funeral arrangements, May 2014
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- Figure 48: Involvement in funeral arrangements, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 49: What people did to help with funeral arrangements, May 2014
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- Figure 50: Most popular what people did to help with funeral arrangements, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 51: What people did to help with funeral arrangements, by involvement in funeral arrangements, May 2014
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- Figure 52: Willingness to talk about the topic of funerals, by involvement in funeral arrangements, May 2014
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- Figure 53: Preparedness for own funeral, by Involvement in funeral arrangements, May 2014
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- Figure 54: Funeral wishes, by involvement in funeral arrangements, May 2014
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- Figure 55: Attitudes to cost of funerals and impact on family, by involvement in funeral arrangements, May 2014
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Appendix – The Consumer – Willingness to Discuss Funeral Wishes
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- Figure 56: Willingness to talk about the topic of funerals, May 2014
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- Figure 57: Willingness to talk about the topic of funerals, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 58: Involvement in funeral arrangements by willingness to talk about the topic of funerals, May 2014
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- Figure 59: What people did to help with funeral arrangements by willingness to talk about the topic of funerals, May 2014
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- Figure 60: Preparedness for own funeral by willingness to talk about the topic of funerals, May 2014
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- Figure 61: Funeral wishes by willingness to talk about the topic of funerals, May 2014
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- Figure 62: Attitudes to cost of funerals and impact on family by willingness to talk about the topic of funerals, May 2014
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Appendix – The Consumer – How Prepared are People for their Funeral
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- Figure 63: Preparedness for own funeral, May 2014
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- Figure 64: Preparedness for own funeral – I have made a will, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 65: Preparedness for own funeral – All/part of the cost of my funeral will be met from the value of my estate, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 66: Preparedness for own funeral – I have discussed my wishes for my funeral with a family member, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 67: Preparedness for own funeral – I have savings set aside specifically to cover my funeral, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 68: Preparedness for own funeral – I have a whole-of-life insurance plan that will cover some or all of my future funeral costs, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 69: Preparedness for own funeral – I have a written set of funeral arrangements in place, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 70: Preparedness for own funeral – I have a pre-paid funeral plan that will cover some or all of my funeral costs, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 71: Funeral wishes, by preparedness for own funeral – I have discussed my wishes for my funeral with a family member, May 2014
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- Figure 72: Funeral wishes, by preparedness for own funeral – I have made a will, May 2014
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- Figure 73: Funeral wishes, by preparedness for own funeral – I have a whole-of-life insurance plan that will cover some or all of my future funeral costs, May 2014
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- Figure 74: Funeral wishes, by preparedness for own funeral – I have a pre-paid funeral plan that will cover some or all of my funeral costs, May 2014
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- Figure 75: Funeral wishes, by preparedness for own funeral – I have a written set of funeral arrangements in place, May 2014
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- Figure 76: Funeral wishes, by preparedness for own funeral – I have savings set aside specifically to cover my funeral, May 2014
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- Figure 77: Funeral wishes, by preparedness for own funeral – All/part of the cost of my funeral will be met from the value of my estate, May 2014
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- Figure 78: Attitudes to cost of funerals and impact on family, by preparedness for own funeral – I have discussed my wishes for my funeral with a family member, May 2014
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- Figure 79: Attitudes to cost of funerals and impact on family, by preparedness for own funeral – I have made a will, May 2014
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- Figure 80: Attitudes to cost of funerals and impact on family, by preparedness for own funeral – I have a whole-of-life insurance plan that will cover some or all of my future funeral costs, May 2014
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- Figure 81: Attitudes to cost of funerals and impact on family, by preparedness for own funeral – I have a pre-paid funeral plan that will cover some or all of my funeral costs, May 2014
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- Figure 82: Attitudes to cost of funerals and impact on family, by preparedness for own funeral – I have a written set of funeral arrangements in place, May 2014
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- Figure 83: Attitudes to cost of funerals and impact on family, by preparedness for own funeral – I have savings set aside specifically to cover my funeral, May 2014
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- Figure 84: Attitudes to cost of funerals and impact on family, by preparedness for own funeral – All/part of the cost of my funeral will be met from the value of my estate, May 2014
- Repertoire of preparedness for own funeral
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- Figure 85: Repertoire of preparedness for own funeral, May 2014
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- Figure 86: Repertoire of preparedness for own funeral, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 87: Preparedness for own funeral, by repertoire of preparedness for own funeral, May 2014
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Appendix – The Consumer – Funeral Wishes
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- Figure 88: Funeral wishes, May 2014
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- Figure 89: Most popular funeral wishes, by demographics, May 2014
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Appendix – The Consumer – Attitudes to Funeral Costs and Impact on Family
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- Figure 90: Attitudes to cost of funerals and impact on family, May 2014
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- Figure 91: Agreement with the statement ‘I like the idea of a funeral being a celebration of life, rather than a more traditional ceremony’, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 92: Agreement with the statement ‘It is important to make at least some plans for the kind of funeral you would like to have’, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 93: Agreement with the statement ‘It is important that wider family and/or friends are present at a funeral’, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 94: Agreement with the statement ‘Having a religious aspect to a funeral is important’, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 95: Agreement with the statement ‘If I were arranging a funeral the cost is not something I would worry about’, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 96: Agreement with the statement ‘I would be interested in pre-paying for a funeral planning service to reduce the burden on my family’, by demographics, May 2014
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- Figure 97: Agreement with the statement ‘I worry that my family will struggle to cover the costs of my funeral’, by demographics, May 2014
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