A survey from KPMG UK has uncovered a striking gap in public knowledge about one of the most significant developments in retirement planning. With roughly six months remaining until every pension provider and workplace scheme is required to link up with the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard, four out of five British adults—80 per cent—have never heard of the service.
KPMG explained that the dashboard, a collaborative project involving the Money and Pensions Service, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the wider pensions industry, aims to let individuals view all their retirement savings in a single place.
Once fully operational, it will make information on 99 per cent of UK pensions accessible through a secure central platform, allowing people to launch their own personalized views.
Awareness levels vary sharply by age. Those nearest to retirement show the least familiarity: 81 per cent of adults aged 55 to 64 and a startling 87 per cent of those 65 and older report having no knowledge of the initiative.
In contrast, younger generations appear more informed. Thirty per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds have heard about it, along with 25 per cent of 35- to 44-year-olds and 22 per cent of those aged 25 to 34.
Huw Evans, Head of Insurance at KPMG UK, observed that the dashboard holds particular value for people still actively building their retirement funds.
He welcomed the relatively stronger recognition among younger cohorts, suggesting that older individuals may simply assume they already have a good grasp of their existing arrangements.
Nevertheless, he stressed that far more work is needed to raise overall understanding and clearly demonstrate the tool’s benefits—such as making additional contributions, estimating future income, and recovering forgotten pension pots.
Despite widespread unawareness, many people express openness to using the dashboard once it launches. More than half of UK adults (53 per cent) say they would probably consult it, with enthusiasm peaking at 71 per cent among the 35- to 44 age group.
Of those intending to try it, over half plan to log in quickly: 35 per cent within the first month and another 18 per cent in the initial two to three weeks.Yet barriers remain.
Thirteen per cent of adults declare they are highly unlikely to engage with the service.
The leading deterrents include fears over the safety of personal and financial information (31 per cent), concerns about receiving unwanted marketing or sales pitches (28 per cent), and the belief that they already know roughly how much they have saved (21 per cent).
When asked what would persuade them to use the dashboard, respondents highlighted practical advantages.
The top motivator was the ability to see every pension in one location (22 per cent), followed closely by reassurance that data would be kept secure (21 per cent).
Other draws included straightforward projections of retirement income (18 per cent), the chance to monitor growth over time (18 per cent), and confirmation that the service is government-backed or properly regulated (17 per cent).
Evans described the dashboard as a potentially transformative resource that could help savers gain a complete picture of both state and private pensions, leading to smarter long-term decisions.
While the industry has already connected more than 60 million records—an enormous technical achievement—promotion has understandably taken second place until now.
He urged immediate action to build awareness, especially among those closest to retirement, so the tool can deliver its full promise when it goes live.
The research findings are based on a nationally representative poll of 2,000 UK adults conducted by One Poll between 9 and 16 March 2026 on behalf of KPMG UK. As the countdown continues, the research serves as a prompt for the pensions sector to shift focus from technical delivery to public education and trust-building.