Projects
Promoting inclusivity in pension protection and other forms of saving among men and women from black and minority ethnic communities in the UK: a mixed methods study
Project contributors: Vlachantoni A, Yin Y, Mocnik S, Akhtar S,
This Project is part of the following research programme/s:
Overview
This project is funded under the ESRC Inclusive Ageing call.
Resources and experiences accumulate across the life course, influencing later life outcomes. For some older individuals from minority ethnic communities, later life comes with a higher risk of poverty compared to their White British counterparts.
This research aims to improve the inclusivity of individuals from minority ethnic communities in pension policy planning, and address a gap in our understanding of the socio-economic factors affecting pension protection among current and future generations of older individuals from minority ethnic communities in the UK.
The research focuses on both mid-life and older individuals, considering their financial resilience in the context of their social networks and living arrangements. To place individuals from minority ethnic groups in the UK at the heart of the research, we are using innovative methods such as photo images taken by participants to describe what late-life financial planning means to them. By listening to real life narratives, we can better understand the lived experiences of individuals from minority ethnic communities, add to the evidence on ethnic differentials in pensions, and promote greater inclusivity in pension protection.
The project also uses data from large-scale social surveys including Understanding Society and the Family Resources Survey. We also explore the usefulness of the Wealth and Assets Survey for the study of pension protection and saving among individuals from minority ethnic groups.
We are holding events about financial adequacy in later life with individuals from younger age groups (including school-age children) to older people, and we are liaising with a range of local and national stakeholders as part of the project; including the Department for Work and Pensions, AgeUK Southampton, Southampton City Council, The People's Pension, Citizens Advice Southampton, the Pensions Policy Institute, Runnymede Trust and the Institute for Fiscal Studies. We are also delighted to collaborate with Cantell School in Southampton, and have produced a CPC Briefing Paper #77 which you can access here. Our project has also hosted two public photograph exhibitions at Winchester Gallery in Winchester and God's House Tower Gallery in Southampton, featuring the images taken by research participants - you can access a virtual version of the exhibition here. Our activities with a range of stakeholders will facilitate policy, practice and public learning on pensions and other forms of saving among minority ethnic communities.
We have co-produced a leaflet which provides advice and points of information about financial issues and pension protection. You can download a PDF version of this leaflet here.
Publications & Activities
"I just need to sit down and not be scared of it": a photovoice study of building financial resilience for later life among mid-life and older adults in the UK
British Society of Gerontology 54th Annual Conference (2025). (University of Surrey)
Authors: Mocnik S, Yin Y, Akhtar S, Vlachantoni A,
Athina Vlachantoni - Discussant
IFS webinar on Ethnicity gaps in pension participation (2025). (Online)
Authors: Vlachantoni A,
Ethnic differences in pension protection in the UK: continuity and change between 2009-2023
British Society Population Studies Conference 2024 (2024). (Bath)
Authors: Vlachantoni A, Yin Y, Akhtar S, Mocnik S,
Exhibition: Money Matters: Building Financial Resilience for Later Life
(2024).
This October, Southampton's historic God's House Tower will host "Money Matters: Building Financial Resilience for Later Life," a pioneering visual arts exhibition that tackles the pressing questions of how ethnicity, gender, and social inequalities impact financial security in later life.
Part of an ESRC-funded initiative in collaboration with the Centre for Research on Ageing and the Winchester School of Art at the University of Southampton, this event pushes boundaries by blending participant-driven photography and storytelling to offer an unparalleled exploration of the financial challenges faced by black and minority ethnic (BME) communities in the UK. As our world faces growing concerns over ageing populations and financial inequities, this exhibition taps into real stories, offering a platform for unheard voices and perspectives often neglected in pension policy discussions.
This isn't just another art exhibition-it's a call to action. The featured artworks are drawn from the lives of many individuals grappling with financial insecurity, including women and persons from minority ethnic communities who may be disproportionately affected by unequal pension systems. The event brings to life key findings from a three-year academic study titled "Promoting Inclusivity in Pension Protection and Other Forms of Saving Among Men and Women from Black and Minority Ethnic Communities in the UK," funded under the ESRC's Inclusive Ageing initiative. Through a fusion of visual mediums and participant-captured photographs, visitors can engage directly with stories of resilience, survival, and hope.
Attendees will leave this exhibition not only moved but also equipped with a new lens to view financial planning and retirement preparation. The powerful visuals will evoke questions: How can we change the status quo? How do we ensure that pension systems are inclusive, just, and accessible to everyone?
In a world where financial literacy often remains out of reach for vulnerable groups, "Money Matters" is more than an exhibition-it's a moment of reckoning, urging policymakers and the public to rethink how we view financial security and inclusivity in later life.
Join us from the 18th to the 20th of October for this unmissable event and be part of a movement that seeks to shape a future where everyone can build financial resilience and look forward to later life with confidence.
Financial preparedness for later life among the Chinese community in the UK
University of Southampton, CPC (2025). Series Number: 82.
Authors: Akhtar S, Mocnik S, Yin Y, Vlachantoni A,
Outreach event at Cantell School, 15 May 2025
(2025).
Professor Athina Vlachantoni and Dr Spela Mocnik ran an outreach event to improve education on savings, pensions and ageing with 200 secondary school pupils at Cantell School.
Outreach event at Cantell School, 16 June 2025
(2025).
Professor Athina Vlachantoni and Dr Spela Mocnik ran an outreach event at Cantell School on 16 June 2025, aimed at enhancing secondary school pupils' understanding of savings, pensions, and ageing.
Pension Protection Among Minority Ethnic Communities in the UK: Trends, Patterns, and Policy Implications
ASC-ISAR - Interdisciplinary Seminar on Ageing Research (2025). (Linköping University, Sweden)
Authors: Vlachantoni A,
Pension Protection Among Minority Ethnic Groups in the UK: The Role of Investments and Subjective Indicators (Poster)
European Population Conference 2024 (2024). (Edinburgh)
Authors: Vlachantoni A, Yin Y, Akhtar S, Mocnik S,
Pension protection among men and women from UK Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities
University of Southampton, CPC (2024). Series Number: 80.
Authors: Vlachantoni A, Akhtar S, Mocnik S, Yin Y,
Professor Athina Vlachantoni chair of session, ESRC Inclusive ageing research projects: an update and opportunity for discussion
British Society of Gerontology 54th Annual Conference (2025). (University of Surrey)
Authors: Vlachantoni A,
Promoting inclusivity in pension protection
British Society of Gerontology 54th Annual Conference (2025). (University of Surrey)
Authors: Vlachantoni A, Yin Y, Akhtar S, Mocnik S,
Pupil attitudes to ageing, pensions and saving for later life
University of Southampton, CPC (2024). Series Number: 77.
Authors: Yin Y, Aparicio F, McGowan T, Akhtar S, Mocnik S, Vlachantoni A,
Seeing financial futures: Reflections on using photovoice to explore financial planning in later life
(2025).
At a recent WSA Research Methods Working Group session, Dr Spela Mocnik shared insights from a study using the photovoice method to explore financial planning among mid-life and older adults from diverse ethnic minority backgrounds in the UK. The talk highlighted how participants used photography to express personal experiences and challenges around financial planning for later life, offering a powerful alternative to traditional interviews. From visual storytelling to public exhibitions, the project demonstrated how visual methods can act as tools for advocacy and engagement. Reflecting on both successes and challenges, Spela offered practical insights into using participatory, creative approaches in social research.
The Promoting inclusivity in pension protection team delivered an outreach training event at Cantell School Southampton, about financial resilience and planning throughout the lifecourse to 240 students from Year 11.
(2024).
The ESRC-funded Inclusive Ageing Project on pensions and savings at the Centre for Research on Ageing/ Department of Gerontology is aimed at providing a better understanding of how individuals from different minority ethnic communities prepare financially for later life. During an outreach event at Cantell School in Southampton in March 2024, Professor Athina Vlachantoni, Professor Yuanyuan Yin (Winchester School of Art), Dr. Spela Mocnik and Dr. Saddaf Naaz Akhtar, in partnership with Teresa McGowan from the ESRC Centre for Population Change - Connecting Generations and other colleagues, delivered a training event about financial resilience and planning throughout the lifecourse to 240 students from Year 11. Using photographs taken by research participants in the research project, the students discussed their own understanding of financial matters and attitudes towards saving for later life. The discussions touched on a range of issues, including intergenerational wealth, intergenerational living, financial support from/to one's family, alternative ways of saving for later life, and financial independence.
Media
Why there's an ethnic pension gap in the UK - and how the government could close it The Conversation. 2025
Professor Athina Vlachantoni, Professor Jane Falkingham and Professor Maria Evandrou write in The Conversation about why there is an ethnic pension gap in the UK, and measures the government could take to try to close it.
Ethnicity gaps in pension participation Youtube. 2025
Online event hosted by the Institute for Fiscal Studies with IFS presentations on new findings exploring ethnic gaps in pension participation rates following the rollout of automatic enrolment. Includes Professor Athina Vlachantoni as a discussant.
Old age pension or old age poverty - addressing inequalities in the pension system Re:action Summer 2024. 2024
The research project, Promoting inclusivity in pension protection and other forms of saving among men and women from black and minority ethnic communities in the UK: a mixed methods study, featured in the University of Southampton's research and enterprise magazine, Re:action.
Visit our virtual exhibition today! 'Building Financial Resilience for Later Life' You can explore the exhibition virtually by clicking on the title. 2024
The exhibition 'Building Financial Resilience for Later Life', which was held at the Winchester School of Art between 26th April and 4th May 2024, explored the complex dynamics surrounding ethnicity, financial security, and pension protection within the UK's diverse communities. It effectively sparked crucial conversations about inclusivity and the need for equitable solutions in pension protection.
