One in five believe living a healthy lifestyle means they don’t need protection
12 November 2026
1 in 5 think healthy lifestyles mean no need for protection
Healthy habits can support people’s health and wellbeing both today and over the longer term. However, new research from Vitality suggests some may see living healthily as a substitute for protecting themselves financially with one in five (21%) saying they believe living a healthy lifestyle means they don’t need protection insurance.
The research found almost six in ten people (57%) agree that they primarily live a healthy lifestyle for the immediate benefits such as improving their mood, boosting their energy or looking better. Yet while these day-to-day benefits may be the immediate motivation, people still recognise that the value of healthy living extends much further into the future. Nearly two thirds (62%) believe its impact on the risk of long-term illness is underestimated, while a third say living more years in good health (33%) or reducing their risk of serious illness later in life (32%) would encourage them to do more to look after their health and wellbeing today.
Despite this awareness of the longer-term importance of healthy living, people do not always appear to apply the same thinking to their financial resilience. More than half of respondents (55%) currently hold none of the protection products listed in the research. Just 13% hold Income Protection, 13% Critical Illness Cover and 4% Serious Illness Cover.
For advisers, the findings highlight an opportunity to identify healthy confidence and consider how it is a complementary route to protection, helping clients to recognise that looking after their health and protecting their financial resilience can go hand in hand. Healthy living can support better long-term health, while financial protection can help people prepare for the financial consequences if unexpected illness or injury does occur.
Justin Garbutt, Chief Growth Officer at Vitality, said: “Looking after our health is important and taking positive steps to live well can help reduce the risk of illness. But it cannot remove that risk altogether.
“That’s why health and financial protection should go hand in hand. Healthy habits can help reduce risk in the first place, while protection provides a financial safety net if illness or injury does happen. Advisers have an important role in helping clients think about both.”
Notes to editors
Consumer research carried out by Opinium on behalf of Vitality, with 2,000 UK adults, weighted to be nationally representative, between 5 and 12 August 2026.