Survey: Targeting responses by demographic groups pay off, polls show

Results from a new OneAmerica^® survey show that age-specific strategies, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, may be the most effective method for plan sponsors to address retirement readiness, illustrating the difference between Millennials in the workforce and those closer to the end of their career.

OneAmerica took the pulse of more than 10,500 visitors to its participant website over a five-month period to gain fresh insight into how the generation gap influences retirement planning and behavior as well as levels of financial knowledge.

“To reach employees, plan sponsors and financial professionals should create targeted communication strategies that factor in age demographics,” said Marsha Whitehead, vice president of marketing for retirement services for the companies of OneAmerica. “Segmenting employee populations by age could be an effective way to provide more personalized and effective messaging, because respondents show variations in retirement planning triggers, potential roadblocks and preferred communications by age.”

OneAmerica saw across-the-board participation during its poll from Aug. 27, 2015-Jan. 31, 2016, 29 percent of respondents ages 18 to 34, 25 percent ages 35 to 49, and 36 percent ages 50 and older. (Some question-answerers declined to reveal their age.)

Not surprisingly, frequency of retirement thought clearly increases throughout life, with a particularly steep increase between participants 35-49 years old and those 50 years or older. Twenty-three percent of men and women younger than 35 years consider it weekly, compared to 27 percent of those 25-49 and 45 percent of those 50 and beyond.

Participants 50 and older show the highest frequency of monitoring the status of their retirement plans (48 percent monthly) followed by those younger than 35 years (44 percent) and lastly those 35-49 years (40 percent). Importance of tracking retirement plan status against goals increases with age. Fifty-five percent of those 50+ say it is very important compared to 49 percent of those 35-49 years and 47 percent of those younger than 35 years.

The OneAmerica survey revealed that customization becomes crucial during the wind-up of a career. Participants 50 and older are more interested in retirement plan investment and distribution options than those under 35, who place more importance on incentivized plan features, such as employer match.

Younger people also are more interested in any type of education about retirement plan options. Exploration of the One Day is Today^® participant online education resources is highest among the youngest age group. Lastly, it’s vital to younger workers to have an easy-to-use website for do-it-yourself monitoring, while they are less interested in receiving future information about retirement products on a regular basis, as those in the 35 to 49 and 50-over age range prefer.

OneAmerica is the marketing name for the companies of OneAmerica.

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About OneAmerica^®

A national leader in the insurance and financial services marketplace for nearly 140 years, the companies of OneAmerica help customers build and protect their financial futures.

OneAmerica offers a variety of products and services to serve the financial needs of their policyholders and customers. These products include retirement plan products and recordkeeping services, individual life insurance, annuities, asset based long-term care solutions and employee benefit plan products.

Products are issued and underwritten by the companies of OneAmerica and distributed through a nationwide network of employees, agents, brokers and other sources that are committed to providing value to our customers. 

To learn more about our products, services and the companies of OneAmerica, visit oneamerica.com/companies.