Most 'Think It Will Never Happen'

Two in three people continue to think 'it' will never happen when it comes to situations such as redundancy and illness, new research has shown.

The "High Wire Britain" research, commissioned by Scottish Provident, found that people continue to have inadequate protection from redundancy despite 66% stating they are most likely to be affected if they or someone in their household were to lose their job.

When it comes to serious illnesses, the research revealed 65% of participants would be affected if a member of their household became ill and had to give up work for more than six months.

The statistics reveal that those who do not have insurance cover believe they are less likely to be affected than those who do, at 55% and and 74% respectively. 

Susan Barclay, head of marketing at Scottish Provident, said people often found it difficult to accept that one day they may become ill or lose their job as they don't want to think about the worst happening. 

"Despite some very high profile cases of critical illness in the media and news of mass redundancies nearly every day, people in Britain still think that 'it' will never happen to them," she added.