2022 Bereavement Index - First Look
This May, we surveyed more than 400 individuals that had gone through bereavement and the administrative processes involved when someone passes away to learn about their experiences – what their biggest bugbears were within the process, the experience they had in working with legal and financial service organisations, and how these experiences fared in comparison to our 2021 findings.
Below is a sneak peak of the findings that will form the basis of our 2022 Bereavement Index report, to be released in September this year. You can sign up to receive the full report, direct to your inbox, here or by clicking the button below.
1. Despite 77% of legal service organisations committing to enhancing their bereavement processes in 2021, consumer experiences with the process are getting worse
Last year, our Bereavement Index report found that organising the funeral was the most stressful part of the bereavement process for consumers. This was above other key tasks such as registering the death and dealing with estate administration. This year however, our findings showed that estate administration now takes top spot and is where consumers are struggling the most after the loss of a loved one.
In fact, since 2021, where we uncovered that 5% of people found estate administration extremely stressful, 23% now find it so, showing that consumer experiences with the process are getting worse and causing them more undue stress at a time when they need it the least.
2. More and more people are getting into financial difficulty due to bereavement and the processes involved, putting their mental health at risk
34% of people now suffer financial difficulty when administering someone’s estate – up from 25% last year. Amidst an increase in case delays and high rates of inflation, this fact might come as little surprise but, of those who struggled financially, 86% had their mental health negatively impacted highlighting the vulnerability of those going through the process. Professionals working in the industry must try to improve the process for consumers by looking for ways to bring costs down, otherwise the consequences might be critical.
3. The majority of people use professionals to help them with the process, but a proportion wouldn’t make the same decision again
70% of people use a professional to help them with the bereavement process – 80% of these a solicitor. However, of those who use a professional, more than 1 in 10 wouldn’t make the same decision again with many finding the process harder than expected and much lengthier to go through.
However, 87% of people say they would use the same professional again, meaning there’s no doubt that most people see the benefits to help them with the process. But, considering the impact of the process of consumers – with case difficulties and lengthy case timelines putting unnecessary strain on them – it’s time legal services truly commit to enhancing the processes they have in place.