PensionsOct 20 2016

British public backs early access to state pension

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The overwhelming majority of UK citizens would support giving retirees early access to the state pension if they began work at a young age, a YouGov survey has found. 

Of the 2,092 people surveyed, 71 per cent supported the proposal, which was floated by John Cridland in the interim report of his state pension age review, published last week.

Just 14 per cent of respondents were against the proposal, which would allow people who entered the work force at, for example, 16 years old to access the state pension before someone who entered the workforce at 21 years old.

The majority of respondents (57 per cent) were also in favour of allowing retirees early access to the state pension at a reduced rate. 

The survey found support for the proposal if it were turned on its head, and people who entered the workforce later were forced to wait longer for the state pension.

However, support was less emphatic, with 42 per cent in favour and 38 against.

The survey found proposals to tie the state pension age to the life expectancy of occupations were less popular.

Exactly half of respondents supported giving people working in jobs with a lower life expectancy should have early access to the state pension, while 30 per cent opposed it. 

Turned on its head, 66 per cent of people opposed later access to state pensions for people in jobs with a higher life expectancy, while 16 per cent supported.

A proposal to restrict state pension age for people living areas of high life expectancy was "flatly opposed", YouGov stated, with 69 per cent against and 12 per cent in favour.

Giving people in areas with lower life expectancy people early access to the state pension was not opposed with such unanimity - with 41 per cent against, to 37 per cent in favour.