Ethnicity gaps in pension participation

The introduction of automatic enrolment into workplace pensions between 2012 and 2018 significantly boosted pension participation in the UK, helping to narrow gaps in participation between men and women and across age groups. However, differences in participation between ethnic groups remain less understood.

In this online event, IFS researchers presented new findings exploring ethnic gaps in pension participation rates following the rollout of automatic enrolment. In particular, they examined the underlying causes of these gaps, their implications for wealth accumulation for different ethnic groups, and potential policy responses.

After the IFS presentations, we had responses from Taha Choukhmane (Assistant Professor of Finance, MIT Sloan School of Management) and Athina Vlachantoni (Professor of Gerontology and Social Policy, University of Southampton), followed by questions from the audience. The event was chaired by Carl Emmerson (Deputy Director, IFS).