The number of life insurance policies including critical illness cover (CIC) has increased by 11% since 2020, according to Confused.com Life Insurance.
Around 20% of life insurance policies included CIC, the digital marketplace said the increased addition of CIC highlights the potential impact of Covid-19 on attitudes toward later-life planning.
Confused.com surveyed 2,000 people in the UK, finding that 66% did not have life cover in place, although queries reportedly increased in 2025 and 2026.
Breaking down the data, 20% of women opted for CIC in 2025, compared to 16% of men, with Gen Z respondents being more forward-planning compared to those aged 55+.
Specifically, 11% of 18-to-24-year-olds included CIC over the last five years, while 2% of over-55s on average included CIC since 2020.
Joint life policies have become more popular as more people opted for this policy in 2025 to save money, Confused.com said.
Although single policies have been the preferred cover (74%) over joint policies between 2020-2024, people choosing a single policy in 2025 dropped by 63%, with 44% of men having chosen a joint policy over a single policy.
Confused.com said younger age groups (those aged between 18-24, 25-34 and 35-44) have seen reduced annual premiums over the last five years, with cost reductions of -5%, -12% and -6%, respectively.
Inflation and the high health risks of Covid-19, however, have reportedly resulted in a 13% and 38% rise in policy costs for 45-to-54-year-olds and people over 55 since 2020.
According to search data from Keyword Tool, Google searches increased for the following questions: ‘How much is life insurance?', ‘Should I get life insurance in my 20s?" and 'Life insurance and critical illness'. These increased by 40%, 200% and 250%, respectively, over the last year.
For consumers with views on these products, 26% ruled out CIC because they did not have a mortgage. In terms of using a CIC pay out, 8% of consumers would use the money to repay a mortgage, while most would use it for income replacement (21%) and everyday expenses or health-related costs (20%).
At the time, Hilary Banks, chief commercial officer, Guardian Financial Services, said: "The findings make it clear there's still work to do, but the message is ultimately positive – that explaining what we do as an industry more clearly has the potential to unlock growth and help more families get the protection they need.
"A big part of that is evolving how we explain, design and recommend protection so it keeps pace with the changing lives it's designed to support."
