Are You Worried You'll Never Be Able To Retire? You're Not The Only One

With the cost of getting on the property ladder so prohibitive, especially in London, many of us haven't really started planning for our long-term financial future.

It doesn't help, of course, that we "snowflake millennials" are even being told our fondness for avocados is stopping us from saving for a flat deposit (LOL).

So it's not too surprising to hear that, according to a new survey, nearly a quarter of millennials don't see retirement as part of their future.

Of 2,000 people aged 18-35 polled by Printerland.co.uk, 24% said they're worried they'll never be able to afford to retire.

Nearly as many again said they expect to carry on working in some capacity after they're "retired" from their main job.

The survey's results make for dispiriting reading all-round. Some 19% of respondents said they can't afford to pay money into a pension fund, while 15% said they don't think they'll ever be in a position to buy their own house.

Around a fifth said they don't believe a state pension will be on offer when they reach retirement age. Currently, it pays out around £8,500 a year to women aged 65 or over (or men aged 67 or over) who've amassed at least 30 years of National Insurance contributions or credits.

But the main takeaway from the survey could be more positive. Some 45% of respondents said they don't know how much money they'll have in their pension pot when they retire, and 21% said they don't really understand how pensions work.

So, with a little more investigation, many of us could find we're in a better position to plan for – and potentially safeguard – our financial future.

Catherine Bannan, HR Manager at Printerland.co.uk, said in response to the results: "While millennials are aware of pensions, and understand they should be investing in them, some important details are still misunderstood. Researching and becoming educated in these details may be the next step for this generation."

Many younger people now find that "piggy banking" is a realistic and achievable way to put money aside for a holiday or rainy day - here's Refinery29's guide to how it works.