Just three percent have firm plans to start buying shares, despite cheap stock prices in the falling markets.
A third of all British adults see the current state of the stock markets as representing a "good investment opportunity" - but the current financial conditions are holding them back from putting their money into shares.
Insurance provider Liverpool Victoria found that 15.8 million people - 33 percent of adults - are currently tempted to move into stocks due to the recent falls in the markets. However, just three percent are currently planning to take the plunge - and only 11 percent are actively considering investing as a serious option.
Last week, the FTSE 100, London's flagship stock exchange, hit a new six-year low, on concerns about the prospects of economic recovery from the current recession and continuing fears over the health of the nation's banking sector. In the US, the Dow Jones index in New York traded at levels unseen for over a decade while the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo traded near a 26-year low.
This means that stock prices are almost unprecedentedly cheap, tempting "bottom fishing" investors to buy shares in the hope of a market rally. However, Liverpool Victoria also found that 60 percent of people who already have money in stocks do not intend to increase their exposure - whether through buying the shares directly or taking out a new ISA.
"[We are] concerned that, through anxiety and lack of action, many people will squander this year's potentially valuable tax-free ISA allowance as well as the potential for significant long-term gains on their investments," the firm said in a statement.
