More than a quarter (27%) of working people have taken a month or more off due to ill-health or injury, according to a survey from Cirencester Friendly.
And a total of 57% of respondents said they would consider buying a product that paid an income if unable to work through accident or illness.
And the concept is even more appealing to younger workers as three in four (74%) of those surveyed aged 34 and under stated that they would be interested in buying the product.
Just in 13% in this age range said they would not consider it at all.
The survey was conducted by Opinium Research on behalf of Cirencester Friendly with 2,000 UK adults during October 2024.
People older than 55 are more likely to be off work than younger people, increasing to 35%.
But this is not an issue that just affects older workers, as one in seven (14%) of those aged 34 and under have also been unable to work for a month or more due to illness or injury.
Drilling down further into the data for those that have taken a month or more off work, they have on average been off work for four and a half months.
A total of 12% of the surveyed respondents were off for between six and 12 months and 25% of them have had more than a year off.
More than one in 10 (11%) of those that have taken time off believe they will never be able to return to work.
Respondents were also asked if they knew anyone who was currently of work due to long-term illness or injury.
A total of 19% said they did know of someone, but the figures were notably higher for those aged under 55 (23%), compared to those aged over 55 (16%).
Cirencester Friendly said the results reflect growing levels of ill-health in the country, with record numbers of people of working age on long-term sick leave. This has risen to more than 2.7 million people, equal to one in 13 of the working population.
A prolonged period of work can lead to isolation and loneliness, further affecting a person’s health and their ability to make a successful return to work.
A total of 31% of those that knew someone on long-term sick leave said they have had less contact with that person than before their illness.
Men (35%) and those aged 34 and under (36%) are most likely to lose touch with someone they know who is ill.
Alan Waddington, distribution director at Cirencester Friendly, said: “These figures show spending a prolonged time off work due to ill-health is far from uncommon, even amongst the youngest members of the workforce.
“It is startling that amongst those that have had to take time off, more than one in ten believe they will never get back to work.
“There appears to be a real opportunity with younger people and it is up to us to work with advisers to find the best way to tap into it. If this momentum is not to be lost, it’s vital that we develop new communication channels and messaging that resonates with this audience.”