Guardian Seeks Insights from UK Under-30s on Pension Affordability Amid Cost-of-Living Crisis
The Guardian's Money section is inviting UK residents under the age of 30 to share their experiences regarding the affordability of contributing to pension schemes for a forthcoming feature.
This call for contributions contextualizes the financial pressures faced by young people, including student loan debts exceeding £100,000 for 150,000 individuals, and the fact that 36.3% of income is commonly spent on rent amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
Respondents are asked to detail whether they currently pay into a pension scheme, reasons if they do not, and to discuss the impact of tax, student loan repayments, rent, and other living costs on their financial decisions.
The piece also seeks views and concerns about retirement.
Participation can be anonymous, and all data submitted is encrypted, accessible only to the Guardian, used solely for this feature, and deleted once it is no longer required.
The submission form requests information such as name, location, background or age, a description of financial circumstances, and optionally a photo, with file uploads allowed up to 5.7 MB.
Consent options include publishing contributions fully, publishing with contact details, or keeping responses anonymous; participants can also express interest in audio or video interviews.
This initiative was announced by the Guardian community team on December 31, 2025.
