- According to a 2020 Finder.com survey, 33% of Brits owns shares compared to only 22% in 2018. Overall, 67% of respondents planned to invest – a 30% increase from 2018.
- Finder’s survey shows that three quarters of both generation Z and millennials (75% and 74%) already have or would consider investing during or after the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being the generation that you might typically associate with share trading, only 60% of baby boomers said that they would consider investing in the future, while the figure drops to just 41% for the silent generation.
- Online apps are a key reason for the increase in younger generations investing, with 27% of generation Z and 32% of millennials stating accessibility due to apps making them more likely to invest.
- Only 2.2 million people in the UK (that’s just over 3%) were subscribed to a stocks & shares ISA account in 2019.
- The average stocks & shares ISA account is worth £27,000.
Who is and who isn’t buying stocks and shares?
The risky world of stocks and shares isn’t for everyone, so who is and who isn’t buying shares in the UK?
- According to our 2020 survey, 33% of Brits owns shares.
- 2.2 million people in the UK were subscribed to a stocks & shares ISA account in 2019.
- Only 43.5% of these ISAs were held by women (957,000).
- While 56.5% of stocks & shares ISAs were held by men (1.25 million).
- The average stocks & shares ISA account is worth £27,000.
- Men have slightly more money in their stocks & shares ISAs, at £29,500 compared to £25,800 for women.
Coronavirus and investing
After COVID-19 hit the world and made most of us housebound, many people used their time to invest, or at least to consider it. The results from a Finder survey done in May 2020 revealed that 20% of Brits thought the pandemic was a good time to invest, while equally as many thought to wait a bit longer.
The generation most likely to invest
While share trading was once the preserve of an elite minority, the democratisation of trading via online trading and investing apps is leading to a huge number of people now considering investing. Finder’s survey shows that three quarters of both generation Z and millennials (75% and 74%) already have or would consider investing during or after the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being the generation that you might typically associate with share trading, only 60% of baby boomers said that they would consider investing in the future, while the figure drops to just 41% for the silent generation.
Reasons to invest
The most popular reason for investing overall (55%) was due to the fact that savings accounts offer poor interest rates. 33% are intrigued by companies that do well and would be more likely to invest if they saw one doing well. 22% found that it was a good time to get involved in investing while many companies aren’t doing well.
Generational: Reasons to invest
Why is the interest in investing higher now than before? Fundamental shifts are happening in retail investing: younger generations seem to be embracing the idea as it becomes more accessible via apps.
Of those who are planning to invest, over a quarter of both generation Z and millennials (28% and 26%) say the market crash has made them more likely to invest over the next 12 months. This is almost three times higher than the silent generation (10%) and significantly higher than baby boomers (16%).
Many generation Z and millennials said that dedicated platforms and apps had made them more likely to invest (27% and 32% respectively).
A full breakdown of the statistics can be found here: https://www.finder.com/uk/investment-statistics.
