More than two fifths (44%) of people in the UK have not written a will, nor are they currently in the process of doing so, according to new research.

More than a quarter (26%) said they do not have enough assets or wealth to warrant making a will, while a fifth (20%) believe they still have plenty of time to make one.

The research also found that 15% of people do not want to pay to write a will, while 14% believe their loved ones will inherit their assets automatically.

Less than half (49%) of UK adults have taken the time to discuss their end-of-life wishes with their loved ones.

The research from Canada Life also revealed the UK cities with the highest proportion of adults who do not have a will in place. Leeds topped the poll with its residents least prepared with almost three-fifths (57%) not having written a will. The city was closely followed by nearby Sheffield (56%) and Nottingham (51%).

At the other end of the country just over a third (36%) of Brighton residents do not have a will in place. Cardiff (38%), London (39%) and Newcastle (39%) are the other most prepared locations when it comes to making a will.

The research formed part of Canada Life’s Life100+ programme, which highlighted a lack of discussions around inheritance planning in the UK.

Stacey Love, tax and estate planning specialist at Canada Life, said: “Passing away without a will in place can place a significant burden on our loved ones. However, our research highlights that, up and down the country, people are not planning ahead or having conversations about the future.”

• Based on research conducted by Opinium among 2000 UK adults between 1-4 October. 

• The research findings (commissioned by Canada Life and conducted by The Big Window) were based on online interviews with a representative sample of 3,400 UK adults aged 18 and over. Quotas were applied by age and gender and the data was weighted at the analysis stage to be representative of the UK adult population. Following the online survey, an all-day intergenerational forum comprising of twenty respondents, with eight in-depth interviews conducted. Respondents represented people from different life stages, backgrounds and generations. All fieldwork was conducted during May, June and July.