Workers in the UK are more than twice as likely to check their savings balance during a week than they are to look at their pension, research from the Pension Attention campaign has shown.

Only 35 per cent of workers checked their pension during a week, compared with the 75 per cent who monitor their savings balance and 44 per cent who check their social media activity.

The analysis also found that workers were less likely to check their pension than fitness statistics (53 per cent) or loyalty rewards (52 per cent).

The week-long study of more than 500 UK workers aged 30 to 55 tracked the apps and accounts they used over a seven-day period.

The analysis also found that 70 per cent of workers did not open their pension app or account at all during the week.

Although 61 per cent of workers said checking their pension when they were paid is important, only 15 per cent did so within 24 hours of payday.

However, 76 per cent checked their banking or finance apps within 24 hours of being paid.

Pension Attention said the findings suggested pensions remain low on the list of regularly tracked personal finances, despite their importance for long-term retirement planning.

Separate consumer polling indicated that pension engagement remained low, with 15 per cent of workers saying they have never checked the value of their pension, while a further 10 per cent last reviewed it more than a year ago and 12 per cent could not remember the last time they looked.

The research also found gaps in workers' understanding of their pension arrangements, with 21 per cent unable to identify their workplace pension provider and 29 per cent unaware of how much they or their employer contribute to their pension.

Pension Attention spokesperson, Mark Smith, said: “It’s understandable that people’s bank balance, their emails and social media feeds got so much attention in this experiment – they are all about the here and now.

"But the research highlights that two-thirds of us are burying our heads in the soil when it comes to retirement savings.”

He explained that logging into a pension app two or three times a year is a really easy way for savers to see how their retirement savings are growing and gain confidence about what they will have in the future.

He added: “Employers can play an important role by signposting staff to their pension provider and giving them clear information to help them understand what they have and how they can help it grow.”

The findings were published as part of the Pension Attention campaign, which is coordinated by the ABI and Pensions UK.

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