"What our research tells us is that the protection journey is not linear. Consumers are not closing the door on it, but the industry isn’t always finding the moment to open it."
- Stephanie Charman - AMI
Between 79% and 95% of consumers who dropped out of the insurance buying process said that something could have changed their decision and made them more likely to go ahead with cover, the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI) has revealed in early insights from its 2026 Protection Viewpoint Study.
AMI says the findings from the study of 3,000 UK adults show the barriers standing between consumers and protection are rarely fixed, whether that's cost, confidence, understanding of the product, or simply not having been asked the right question at the right time.
This comes shortly after the FCA published the final report of its Pure Protection Market Study, which found that 58% of UK adults have no protection in place, of which 59% have never considered it.
In its report, the FCA named AMI as the trade body to lead industry efforts to "strengthen adviser engagement with protection", citing insights from the annual Viewpoint research as "an appropriate platform to coordinate practical support for advisers" across the wider sector and different intermediary models.
Protection Viewpoint Report launches on 5th November
AMI has announced that its Protection Viewpoint Report 2026 will launch at a virtual event on Thursday 5th November at 9am. The trade body is inviting advisers, firm leaders, networks, insurers and technology providers from across the industry to join.
The virtual launch event will discuss the report findings and bring together the latest consumer data with industry and adviser perspectives to explore what the findings mean for the future of protection.
The Protection Viewpoint report has been developed in partnership with L&G, The Exeter and Vitality, and examines protection from three angles: how consumers are changing, how protection propositions and marketing need to evolve, and the future of advice.
This year’s study will look at how the consumer landscape is changing, what’s really shaping the protection journey, and provide practical takeaways to help the industry better address the protection gap.
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"The FCA’s final report has put a clear marker down: now is the time for the industry to move from talking about the protection gap to actively working to close it," Stephanie Charman, chief executive of AMI, said. "The Viewpoint study gives us the evidence and insights, and now AMI has the mandate to put it to work with advisers.
"What our research tells us is that the protection journey is not linear. Consumers are not closing the door on it, but the industry isn’t always finding the moment to open it. Cost, confidence, understanding, and timing are all barriers that can be addressed, not fixed points that rule people out for good.
"This year’s report will focus the insights through three pillars: consumer, proposition and the advice model - offering practical, evidence-led support that helps the industry understand the moments, conversations and approaches that can turn interest in protection into action. We hope the industry leans in to join us to take action to close the protection gap."
