Financial Lives 2020 survey

Find out more about the Financial Lives 2020 survey including our reports and data. 

A total of 16,190 respondents completed our 2020 survey. Ending in February 2020, the results give us an understanding of consumers’ financial positions before the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

A second survey the 'October 2020 Covid-19 panel survey' was conducted with 22,000 respondents to focus on the impact of COVID-19.

Reports

We published 3 reports using these 2 surveys:

2020 main report: Financial Lives 2020 survey: the impact of coronavirus

Our main report provides key findings from both the Financial Lives 2020 survey and the October 2020 Covid-19 panel survey.

Download Financial Lives 2020 survey: the impact of coronavirus (PDF)

Executive summary

Consumer research to inform the Financial Advice Market Review

This report uses insights from the Financial Lives 2020 survey alongside bespoke qualitative research to look at consumers’ views on their needs for support with financial issues; how they go about getting that support, and their experiences of support.

Download Consumer research to inform the FCA’s Review (PDF)

FCA outcomes and metrics 

The FCA are committed to being clear about how we are accountable for our progress. The Financial Lives 2020 survey provides the baseline metrics for a number of these outcomes.

View our latest outcomes and metrics

2020 data tables

We provide the multi-volume data tables from our 2020 survey.

These data tables provide access to the results of almost all the survey questions and to different ways the data can be looked at. Given the breadth of the survey, we have not included all the results in our published reports.

To guide you through the various volumes of data tables we have published a data tables user guide.

Financial Lives 2020 data tables 

Weighted data tables (XLSX)
1. Demographics2. Attitudes3. Product Ownership part 13. Product Ownership part 24. Assets and Debts
5. Advice - Incidence6. Retail Banking7. Mortgages8. Consumer Credit 29. High Cost Credit
10. Consumer Credit 111. General Insurance & Protection12. Pension Accumulation13. Risk and Return14. Pension Decumulation
15. Advice and Guidance16. Financial Concepts –Numeracy 17. All other sections18. Summaries 

Appendix A to the Financial Lives 2020 main report

We cover just over 100 different products or groups of products in the survey. Appendix A (Product holdings) (XLSX) includes a spreadsheet which shows the proportions and numbers of UK adults holding them for 2017 and 2020.

October 2020 Covid-19 panel survey data tables

These data tables provide access to the results of the October 2020 Covid-19 panel survey.

Financial Advice Market Review

The Financial Advice Market Review looks at specific products and groups which can be reported on from all of the 2020 data tables by using the following headings:

• Investible assets
• Had regulated advice in last 12 months (FAMR Groups)
• Received support in the last 12 months (Advice and/or Guidance)

Survey data

The 2017, 2020 and 2022 main survey data, along with weights and instructions for applying them, are available through the Geographic Data Service (GeoDS). We will make the 2024 main survey data available through GeoDS by September 2025.