New research from Aviva has revealed Covid-19's effect on people's future plans.
While some envisage retiring earlier and have gained confidence about living comfortably once they retire, 18% feel less secure about their financial future.
Across the generations, the 35-44 age group is the most likely (68%) to have felt some impact on their retirement plans from the pandemic.
The last two years have been positive for some, however, including the one in 10 who used lockdowns to save more for their retirement.
Aviva's findings show 59% of people feel Covid has made them question what's important in life, while half have said it has changed their priorities.
While 41% say the pandemic has made them feel they can take more control of their priorities, the same proportion say they have less control than they did before.
When it comes to their finances, 41% of adults say life during Covid has encouraged them to build more long-term savings.
People aged 35-44 are most likely to feel compelled to save more for their futures (54%), followed by 51% of those aged 25-34.
However, 27% overall say they feel less comfortable about coping with unforeseen events than they did before the pandemic.
This includes 29% of those aged 44-54 and 24% of over-55s.
Aviva's findings also show more than half of UK adults have suspended or cancelled a planned life event during the pandemic.
Among those affected, 16% have held back from starting a new job; 13% have postponed buying a new house; 12% have thought twice about starting a new business; 10% have pressed pause on trying for a baby; and 10% have postponed getting married.
Alistair McQueen, head of savings and retirement at Aviva, said:
"For many of us, the pandemic has had a profound impact on our outlook and caused us to look again at our priorities.
"The experience of a global health crisis has led many people to put plans on hold and consider the wider implications around significant issues like retirement plans.
"The experience of having decisions taken out of our hands through successive lockdowns has left many people longing for a sense of control.
"But, much as it's encouraging to see people striving to build more long-term savings, our findings show anxiety about the future is still weighing heavily on their minds.
"As we all juggle personal priorities against a backdrop of uncertainty, it's important to look for steps that can help us take control of our circumstances as best we can."
Based on tax legislation at the time of publication. Please be aware that there will have been changes since this was published. Speak to your adviser for the most up to date information.
