Over a third of people cannot identify an investment fund

Demographic differences prevalent

Linus Uhlig
clock • 2 min read

More than a third (36%) of people said they do not know what an investment fund is as research indicated that financial illiteracy remains high.

According to data from a survey of 2000 people conducted by Opinium for Hargreaves Lansdown in April 2025, fewer than two in five people (37%) could correctly identify what an investment fund was when provided with five alternative descriptions, while 36% said they did not know.  Two thirds of young investors spend less than a day contemplating investment decisions Just over one in ten (11%) said it was a word to describe the money held in shares, while 9% defined it as a group of shares sold in bulk. Meanwhile, one in 20 (5%) said it was a type of savings account and 2% said it was a...

To continue reading this article...

Join Investment Week for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, analysis and opinion from the investment industry, including the Sustainable Hub covering fund news from the ESG space
  • Get ahead of regulatory and technological changes affecting fund management
  • Important and breaking news stories selected by the editors delivered straight to your inbox each day
  • Weekly members-only newsletter with exclusive opinion pieces from leading industry experts
  • Be the first to hear about our extensive events schedule and awards programmes

Join now

 

Already an Investment Week
member?

Login

More on Industry

Former LGIM CEO Michelle Scrimgeour recognised in King's Birthday Honours

Former LGIM CEO Michelle Scrimgeour recognised in King's Birthday Honours

The honours mark the contributions and service of people across the UK

Jonathan Stapleton
clock 16 June 2025 • 1 min read
Court backlog to delay some finfluencer trials until 2027

Court backlog to delay some finfluencer trials until 2027

Treasury Committee hearing

Sorin Dojan
clock 10 June 2025 • 2 min read
Guinness Global Investors' Iona Frisby launches investment initiative for young professionals

Guinness Global Investors' Iona Frisby launches investment initiative for young professionals

It will be titled Gen Invest

Sorin Dojan
clock 09 June 2025 • 1 min read
Trustpilot