Private pension pots are not held by 50 percent of the working population - with youngsters even less likely to save.
Around half of all adults do not pay into a pension - and a similar number worries that they do not have enough money to pay for a comfortable retirement.
A new survey from the BBC and financial researchers at GfK NOP has shown big shortfalls in the amount people are putting into private pension plans. According to the poll, just 50 percent of people are paying into such a scheme - a total that goes down to 36 percent of under-30s.
Not building up a significant pension pot is likely to limit the ability of a consumer to be able to satisfactorily supplement their retirement income. The BBC also found that half of poll respondents felt that they would not be financially secure when they leave work.
The recession - which has pushed unemployment to a decade-long high of 2.22 million - also emerged as a major factor behind the reduced pension savings. Tom Wainewright, 25, told the broadcaster that he had other worries in his life - and that he had not given a pension "any thought".
He added: "At the moment I'm just trying to keep down a steady job. I was made redundant because of the recession and have had to take a pay cut."
Recent figures from Nationwide also show that the lack of pension savings is replicated in cash savings deposits. According to the building society, just half of people save regularly - and one in four do not save at all.
