Clients unclear about how much insurance cover needed
By Kirsten Hastings, 28 Jun 16
Perception and reality differ significantly when it comes to how families around the world think they will be impacted if the main earner suffers from critical illness, disability or worse without appropriate cover, says Zurich.
Put simply, income protection provides the financial means to preserve the way of life, or that of a family, in the event of an accident, serious illness or even death.
In most countries, survivors are entitled to public support after the death of the main wage earner. In many cases, however, this support is only available to those whose partners have contributed to schemes through formal full-time employment.
Benefit levels vary considerably and can be time limited, young survivors are sometimes excluded from these benefits.
For this survey, more than 11,000 people were polled in 11 countries in March/April 2016. The countries were Australia, Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.
About a third of respondents own insurance to protect income against illness/disability or against premature death.
But the numbers vary considerably between countries.
Germans, for example, have the least amount of protection against the financial consequences of disability (17%), while almost two-thirds of respondents in Malaysia and Hong Kong have additional coverage.
Tags: Zurich
