There has been an increase in engagement with financial advice this year, according to new research by Aviva.

The group has released a new report, Appetite for Advice, in which Aviva has calculated an “appetite for advice” index that shows that perceptions of advice and the value it can bring to people’s lives have improved across the board.

Aviva calculated the index using feedback from a nationally representative sample of 2,000 consumers and then compared to the same factors measured in a previous survey conducted in 2021. The index is a composite score, with a maximum possible score of 100.

In 2025, the overall Appetite for Advice Index measured 30, which was up from a score of 24 in 2021. Aviva said this shows an overall increase in the level of engagement with advice across all consumers surveyed, advised and non-advised. For men, the score was 32, up from 26, and for women it was 29, up from 23.

Aviva Retail Platform director, Lorna Whalley, said: “Our research shows there has been a real shift over the last four years in the way financial advice is perceived. Even though fewer people said they are now taking advice than four years ago, the benefits of it, both for wealth and well-being, are felt much more than before.

“This is testament to the work advisers have been doing to help their clients with their financial, and wider, planning. Advice really delivers security and peace of mind for those who take it, and it’s important to get that message across to a wider audience, so that more people can benefit.”

Although Aviva’s research showed that fewer people are taking financial advice in 2025 compared with 2021 (11 per cent vs 13 per cent), the findings indicated perceptions towards advice and the value it brings have risen amongst those who do.

Financial benefits were acknowledged, with 81 per cent (up 9 per cent) of men and 71 per cent (up 6 per cent) of women agreeing that they are better off than they would be without advice.

However, the biggest increase was seen in the ways financial advice provides wider benefit.

Four in five (82 per cent) of advised men and 78 per cent of advised women in the survey agreed that financial advice contributes to their overall wellbeing, up significantly from the 72 per cent and 67 per cent who said this in 2021.

“Our research shows that fewer women than men take financial advice, at 8 per cent and 14 per cent respectively, but it is encouraging to see that engagement with women has risen more strongly even if from a lower base,” added Whalley.

“If this is sustained, engagement levels for men and women will be the same in 17 years, but we should challenge ourselves to find effective ways to bring that date forward, by understanding how we can demonstrate the very real benefits advice can bring in a way which is meaningful to women, and in ways that resonate with them.”

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