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Uncovering the Hidden Drivers of Pension Engagement

  • Behavioural diagnostic,
  • Behavioural insight,
  • Behavioural interviews

Cowry Consulting
March 31, 2026 - 2 min read

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How cognitive interviews helped Aegon understand why customers avoid pensions

The Challenge

Encouraging customers to engage with their pensions is one of the biggest challenges in financial services. While pensions play a critical role in long-term financial security, many people avoid thinking about them or delay decisions for years. Traditional research methods often fail to uncover the true reasons behind this behaviour.

When asked directly, customers tend to provide rational explanations for their decisions. However, these responses do not always reflect the subconscious drivers influencing behaviour. Aegon wanted to go deeper. The challenge was:

How can we uncover the psychological barriers preventing customers from engaging with their pensions?

Traditional research often captures what customers say they think, rather than the subconscious drivers that shape real financial decisions.

Our approach

Cowry partnered with Aegon to explore the subconscious drivers of pension behaviour using behavioural research techniques.

Cognitive interviews – We used Cognitive Interviews, a psychometric research technique designed to reveal the mental processes behind decision-making.

Investigative questioning techniques – The interviews used methods such as:

  • probing questions
  • recall techniques
  • think-aloud exercises
  • scenario-based vignettes

These techniques encourage participants to reveal how they truly think and feel rather than what they believe they should say.

Behavioural observation – Each interview lasted around 45 minutes and was recorded for detailed analysis, allowing researchers to examine both what participants said and how they said it.

This approach helped uncover deeper behavioural patterns influencing pension engagement.

 

Behavioural insight

The research revealed three key behavioural drivers shaping how customers think about pensions.

 

 

 

1. Mental Money Pots

What we observed
Customers mentally categorise their money into different types of spending and saving.

Behavioural driver
Through mental accounting, people separate money into distinct categories such as:

  • Fun money
  • Safe money
  • Serious money

Implication
Pensions are placed in the “serious money” category, alongside insurance and critical illness cover, which can make them feel distant and difficult to engage with.

2. Behaviour Shapes Understanding

What we observed
Customers often understand financial products only after they have used them.

Behavioural driver
People learn through experience rather than abstract explanations.

Implication
Customers find products like ISAs easier to understand because they actively interact with them.

3. Doing Drives Thinking

What we observed
Customers need to take action before they fully understand pensions.

Behavioural driver
People often “do to think” rather than “think to do.”

Implication
Encouraging small actions around pensions can help customers build understanding and engagement over time.

The solution

The cognitive interview research provided Aegon with a deeper understanding of the psychological barriers preventing customers from engaging with their pensions.

These insights informed future behavioural interventions designed to:

  • simplify pension communications
  • encourage small engagement actions
  • help customers build familiarity with pension decisions

By understanding the subconscious drivers behind financial behaviour, Aegon was able to design more effective customer experiences that support better long-term financial decisions.

 

Impact:

Traditional research often captures what people say they think. Cognitive interviews reveal how people actually think.

By combining behavioural science with investigative research techniques, Cowry was able to uncover the hidden psychological dynamics shaping pension engagement.

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