Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 January 2020
This paper investigates the effect of recent regulatory changes to the compulsory annuitisation of tax-privileged pension savings, on the demand for annuities and other retirement products. We find that the demand for annuities has fallen by almost 75 per cent from its peak in 2012, and the demand for income drawdown products has increased. There is some evidence that people at younger ages and with smaller pension pots are choosing not to annuitise, and hence the average size of an annuity purchase has increased.
This article was presented at the NIESR conference on pension reform, December 2015. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of the ABI.