One in five UK adults (20%) say they have no financial safety net in place to absorb an unexpected financial shock.
The situation is worse for women with almost a quarter (24%) having no financial safety net, compared with 16% of men.
The highest proportions of people with no financial safety net were among women aged 18-24 and 45-54, with nearly a third of both groups lacking any safety net.
According to new research from Handelsbanken Wealth, 42% of people have a rainy-day fund and 37% have an emergency fund.
But more than three-quarters of women are worried about the cost-of-living crisis or a recession (76%, compared with 67% of men) and energy prices (76% versus 67%), while 43% are scared they will run out of money, compared with 36% of men.
The research shows that a third of UK adults (33%) now feel apprehensive about making investment decisions on their own, up from 26% last year. Apprehension around pensions has risen by the same amount, climbing from 19% to 26%.
Concern is also spreading to immediate financial commitments. The proportion uneasy about making mortgage decisions has increased from 15% to 21%, despite a series of bank rate cuts since August 2024, while apprehension around personal loans has jumped from 13% to 20%.
The findings suggest that greater involvement in personal finances is not necessarily translating into greater confidence. Four in ten people now have responsibility for overseeing pensions, up from 37% last year, while 32% oversee investments, compared with 28% in 2025. Responsibility for mortgages has also risen, from 23% to 25%.
At the same time, average financial assets held by UK adults, measured as the total value of cash savings, investments and pensions reported in the survey, have fallen by more than £13,000 over the past year, from £197,106 to £183,781.
Stephen Cowling, head of wealth at Handelsbanken, said: “Financial anxiety is now touching almost every major decision people make, from mortgages and personal borrowing to pensions and investments. The danger is that anxiety becomes paralysis, with important choices delayed until circumstances force the issue.
“Building resilience will look different for every household, especially when day-to-day costs are already stretched. Good advice cannot remove those pressures, but it can help people understand their position, prioritise the next step and make better use of the resources available to them.”
• Study was conducted by independent research company Opinium among a nationally representative sample of 4,000 UK adults between 7 to 14 January 2026. Respondents were chosen on a nationally representative basis, weighted evenly by gender, age, region and value of financial assets. Of the overall sample, 1,931 (48.4%) were male and 2,061 (51.5%) were female, while 805 (20.1%) had a net worth of more than £100,000.