Seven in ten consumers have not seen or heard anything about income protection (IP) or critical illness (CI) in the last year and views are often based on flase assumptions, according to CIExpert’s Critical Thinking 2026 report.
For CI that position has barely shifted since the 2024 report, when 70% reported no exposure to CI advertising.
Where consumers do have views on these products, their understanding was found to be frequently shaped by false assumptions rather than knowledge, the survey of 10,000 consumers found.
Barriers to awareness
A quarter (26%) ruled out CI simply because they do not have a mortgage – a figure that points to an industry narrative still rooted in home ownership despite the product’s far broader relevance, the report said.
Only 8% of all consumers said they would use a pay out to repay a mortgage; the vast majority would use it for income replacement, everyday expenses or health-related costs.
Income protection faces similar barriers.
A quarter of consumers (25%) believed IP was only for people who were self-employed or had no sick pay, while on the flipside, 19% thought having employer sick pay means they do not need cover at all, rising to 27% of Gen Zs.
This was echoed in the adviser research that found half of advisers (49%) said clients believed employer sick pay meant they did not need IP.
Though the research also showed only a fifth (22%) knew how long their employer sick pay would last – yet when the limitations of sick pay and the role of IP were clearly explained, 43% said the product felt more relevant, rising to 61% of Gen Z and 64% of Millennials.
Benefits of clearer explanations
Among Millennials, 38% said they would prefer an enhanced critical illness plan when given a clear explanation of the differences.
Over half of Gen Z and Millennials (54% and 55% respectively) were open to paying more for advanced added value services, including access to advanced tumour profiling and personalised cancer treatment, clinical trial support, and specialist treatment only available overseas.
On income protection, cost was frequently cited as a barrier but when it was positioned like a pension – as a small percentage of income – attitudes changed, with 39% saying 1–3% of earnings felt reasonable for income protection.
When IP is framed around retirement saving – relevance rose to 59% of Gen Z and 61% of Millennials. And when IP was presented as protecting income until retirement, 51% of Millennials said they would be more likely to consider it.
Waiting times for NHS treatment now rank as the leading healthcare concern among UK consumers, cited by 36% overall and rising to 45% of Boomers.
One in three consumers (32%) said they would be more likely to buy CI if a policy paid out once placed on an NHS waiting list, rising to 42% of Millennials – a significant shift that points to a new framing opportunity for insurers and advisers.
IP cover portability
On income protection, 42% of Gen Z expected a mixed or non-linear career, and 30% said portability of cover between jobs would be important.
This challenges the traditional employment assumptions built into many IP models, with advisers identifying self-employed income uncertainty (cited by 45%), mixed income types (40%) and variable earnings (39%) as the most common practical barriers to placing suitable cover.
The report also touched on artificial intelligence (AI), with just 4% saying they completely trust information from AI tools when researching protection products.
A far larger proportion either only partly trusted AI-generated content or do not trust it at all.
‘World isn’t listening’
Alan Lakey, director of CIExpert, (pictured) said: “The protection industry has a habit of talking to itself and assuming the world is listening. It isn’t.
“When we launched Critical Thinking in 2024, we called for a revolution in how the industry thinks about protection. Critical Thinking 2026 shows some green shoots of change for the better; almost one in three advisers have changed how they recommend CIC as a direct result of the ‘Single is Best’ campaign – and that matters enormously.
“But beyond our own bubble, seven in ten consumers have not seen or heard a thing about critical illness cover or income protection in the last year. That gap between what we think we’re communicating and what people are actually hearing should be uncomfortable reading for everyone in this market.
“This report is a reality check as much as a celebration. Consumers aren’t rejecting these products – they simply don’t know they exist, or they’ve built up assumptions that nobody has yet challenged.
“That’s not a consumer problem; it’s an industry problem.
“What gives me genuine optimism is this: when advisers explain these products clearly – when they connect them to real health anxieties, real income fears, real life – attitudes shift.
“The evidence is right here. We know what works. The only question now is whether we have the collective will to do it at scale.”
Call for industry collaboration
The report concluded with a call for collaboration across the industry to address the education gap that continues to hold back the protection market.
Fi Wynn, head of protection proposition at Royal London, said: “The findings of this report make for stark reading, too many people miss out on a financial safety net simply because they don’t understand what’s available or how it can help them.
“We need to help cut through the confusion and ensure more consumers get the support they need, when they need it most.
“Genuine progress depends on collaboration, clear communication, and tackling outdated assumptions. As an industry we have a collective purpose to ensure that protection insurance becomes relevant and accessible to all.”
Hilary Banks, chief commercial officer at Guardian Financial Services, said: “We’re confident that Critical Thinking 2026 will spark a renewed commitment to raising awareness and helping consumers better understand what protection really means for them.
“The findings make it clear there’s still work to do, but the message is ultimately positive – that explaining what we do as an industry more clearly has the potential to unlock growth and help more families get the protection they need.
“A big part of that is evolving how we explain, design and recommend protection so it keeps pace with the changing lives it’s designed to support.”