Belgians have pension jitters

9 June 2005

BRUSSELS – Nine out of ten Belgians who are currently working believe that a state pension alone will not be enough to support them in retirement, a new survey found on Thursday.

The study by the Swiss Life insurance company was based on a sample of 25,000 people.

It found that three out of four Belgians have already taken out a private pension plan.

It also found that of those that haven’t, 14 percent are considering some kind of top-up scheme.

Critics point out that it is not surprising that an insurance company should publish a survey that highlights such results.

But the Swiss Life study nevertheless appears to show that most Belgians do not trust the state to look after them properly in their old age.

Only 16.4 percent of people questioned said they intended to let the state take care of all their pension needs despite the fact that 62.4 percent said they believed the authorities should do just that.

Subject: Belgian news