A future shaped by you – what members told us
In April 2025, we asked you about your pension communications: what matters to you, and what would make a real difference.
Of the survey respondents, 43% of you were pensioners and dependants, 28% of you were deferred members (no longer paying in), and 29% of you were active members. With a range of responses from across the membership, this gives us the opportunity to focus on what each member cohort needs.
Thank you to everyone who took part. Every response helps us shape what comes next in our communication plan, so we can better serve you.
What you told us
Across the board, we noticed that confidence in retirement decisions rose with age. With those aged 34 and under being the least confident in making retirement decisions and those aged 45 and over being the most confident. However, those already drawing on their pension showed the highest rate of confidence.
For our active members, over 50% said they were unsure about their options at retirement and ill-health benefits. While 43% said they didn’t find it easy to get the help they needed.
For our deferred members, just under 75% said they didn’t know what their choices were at retirement and over 80% said they were unsure what happens if they can’t work due to ill-health. Just under half noted that they didn’t know what would happen to their pension if they passed away.
For our pensioner and dependant members, while being the group with the highest confidence and knowledge in their pensions, we still noted that just under 40% of members said they weren’t confident making decisions about their pension. 1 in 3 don’t know what happens to their pension if they pass away.
Your digital experience
All membership cohorts showed an appetite for digital communication – with over 72% in each group noting they’d prefer email communication. Though, we know it’s still important for some members to receive the important information in the post. We also saw that the top request from all membership cohorts was for more information online.
We noticed just under 50% of active members use their online portal provided by the Scheme Administrator but that this drops to 30% for deferred members and 26% for pensioner and dependant members. For most groups, they didn’t know about the portal which was the biggest block to using it while other members felt they haven’t needed to use it and some struggled to gain access.
Where your feedback takes us
Our new website is the first step. We’re bringing everything you asked for into one place, so it’s easier to find and understand.
Whether you need help understanding your pension more, with ill-health benefits, or accessing your online portal – our new website is built with your feedback in mind, bringing the information you need right to your fingertips.
Over the next few years, we’ll keep evolving how we connect with you, helping you understand your benefits at every stage – from growing your pension to building your legacy.
Shape it with us
We hope you enjoy exploring the new website. If you have any feedback, please get in touch with the Pensions Team via our Contact page.