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85% of 18 - 30 year olds haven't written their will

18 December, 2009

A recent study by the first organisation to offer a nationally accredited qualification in will writing and probate practice has revealed that a large proportion of young people are overlooking the importance of writing a will and only 15% of 18-30 year olds have done so.

The Fellowship of Professional Willwriters and Probate Practitioners is a non-profit organisation that offers BTEC qualifications in will writing and probate practice and has conducted research of 1,723 people aged 18-30 to find out what young people’s attitudes are towards wills.

After recently welcoming Tom Mursell, aged 20, as a new member who will become the youngest will writer in the UK after completing the course, The Fellowship felt it was key to find out how many young people thought writing a will was important. When asked “Have you written a will yet?” less than 1 in 5 claimed that they had. Of the 85% who hadn’t written a will, over half – 53% - had children.

Whilst writing a will is a task some people don’t like to think about due to its purpose, many put off writing one altogether. The Fellowship asked those respondents who admitted to not having a will, why it wasn’t a priority for them. Nearly a quarter, 24%, said they were too young, while nearly half, 49%, said they didn’t like the association wills had with death.

A further 8% said they didn’t really understand the process of creating a will and 11% said the main reason they hadn’t written a will was because they hadn’t got round to it. When asked, ‘When do you think you will write a will?’ two thirds said they would wait until they were 50 or older.

As well as encouraging more young people to consider will writing as a career and profession, The Fellowship (www.fpwpp.co.uk) is hoping that writing a will won’t just be something that only older people prioritise.

Speaking about these latest figures, Rita Leat, the President of The Fellowship, commented;

“It is incredibly shocking to discover just how many young people are ignoring the importance of writing a will. People should not take things for granted and assume that their estate will automatically go to their loved ones. No one can predict what will happen in the future, so whatever age we are we should all be thinking about our wills. This is especially true for those with children.

“Tom Mursell is going to be the youngest will writer in the UK once he has finished studying for the BTEC qualification, so we are one step closer to opening the will writing industry up to young people as a career. Now we just need to reach more young consumers to stress the importance of will writing in their lives, as it is one of the most significant things they will ever have to do.”

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85% of 18 - 30 year olds haven't written their will