Sandwich generation faces growing financial pressures and planning gaps
03 August 2026
Sandwich generation faces growing financial pressures
New research from Vitality reveals the growing financial squeeze on UK households balancing the dual costs of supporting children and ageing parents. This pressure sees a 'sandwich generation' balancing competing financial responsibilities across generations, creating challenges for both day-to-day finances and longer-term planning.
The research highlights the scale of the multi-generational strain facing many families, revealing that around one in seven (14%) parents are financially stretched between supporting both their children and parents. Among those with children under 18, a third (33%) say helping their own parents is a significant financial challenge, while over half (51%) struggle with the cost of supporting their children.
These pressures can leave families particularly exposed to unexpected life events. A quarter (26%) of parents with children under 18 say they would lack confidence in securing additional reliable childcare support they may need if illness or injury prevented them from working and they were left unable to care for their child. The findings highlight how ill health can place pressure on families from multiple directions at once, affecting both a parent's ability to earn an income and creating additional challenges around caring responsibilities for children.
Despite the financial consequences that illness or injury could have for families with caring responsibilities, more than half (57%) of parents say taking out income protection was not something they considered when they had children, suggesting many households could be underestimating the financial impact a period of ill health may have on family finances.
The research also suggests many people are keen to avoid passing similar pressures on to their own families. Nearly two thirds (62%) say they would be uncomfortable relying on relatives for financial or care support in later life. However, preparation often falls short of intention, with almost one in five (18%) unsure how they would cover later-life care costs and a further 23% admitting they have not considered the issue at all.
While more than half (53%) say they would be more likely to choose an insurance product that includes later life care, previous Vitality research shows only 6% currently plan to use a protection policy to fund this, suggesting low awareness of available solutions and an opening for advisers to discuss protection needs.
Andy Philo, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Vitality, said: “Many people are focused on meeting the multiple demands of supporting their families today, which can leave little time or capacity to plan for future financial risks.
“The findings highlight how closely linked today's financial pressures and tomorrow's planning decisions have become. While many people are focused on supporting children or ageing parents, fewer have considered how they would cope financially if illness affected their ability to work, or how they might fund their own care needs later in life. This creates an important opportunity for advisers to have broader conversations around financial resilience and long-term protection planning, including solutions such as Vitality's Dementia and FrailCare Cover, which can help clients prepare for future care needs without placing additional pressure on family members.”
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 9 March 2026.