Pension shock
Think tank: Social Market Foundation
Author(s): Gideon Salutin; Niamh O Regan
March 17, 2026
This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation examines the potential pension shock facing Gen X.
Britain’s middle-aged workers stand on the cusp of a social crisis. Gen X – born between 1965 and 1980 – are next in line for retirement. Born too late to benefit from relatively robust Defined Benefit (DB) pensions, and too early to benefit from Defined Contribution (DC) scheme auto-enrolment throughout their working life.
This report examines this problem, and the likely ‘pension shock’ that will follow, as Gen X are set to realise in the next few years that despite many working longer and earning more than their parents, they are projected to have substantially less financial security in retirement.
