Key Takeaways
- • The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) launched its 2026 Defined Contribution (DC) Asset Allocation survey on 15 June 2026, now in its ninth year of operation and described as the largest survey of its kind in the UK DC market.
- • The survey will collect comprehensive data from DC schemes and providers on scheme size, member pots, default investment strategies, asset allocations, and charges across the DC universe to inform the 2026 DC Future Book report.
- • The DC market represents significant scale: 52 million pension pots with combined assets under management of £379.8 billion, establishing a substantial evidence base for industry research and policy development.
- • Survey findings will track asset allocation trends, changes over time, and investment strategies adopted by schemes and providers, providing institutional investors and pension professionals with critical market intelligence.
Summary
The Pensions Policy Institute has initiated data collection for its 2026 Defined Contribution Asset Allocation survey, a comprehensive annual research initiative launched on 15 June 2026. Now in its ninth consecutive year, the survey represents the largest systematic effort to capture granular data across the UK's DC pension landscape.
The survey targets DC schemes and providers to collect multi-dimensional information spanning scheme size, member pension pots, default investment strategies, asset allocations, and fee structures. This data collection effort directly supports the development of the PPI's 2026 DC Future Book report, a flagship research publication that synthesizes market trends and provides evidence-based analysis for institutional stakeholders.
The scale of the DC market underscores the survey's relevance to institutional investors and pension professionals. The sector encompasses 52 million pension pots with aggregate assets under management totaling £379.8 billion, representing a mature and substantial institutional market segment. This data foundation enables the PPI to track structural changes, asset allocation shifts, and evolving investment strategies across schemes and providers over time.
The survey's scope extends beyond static snapshots to encompass trend analysis, capturing how asset allocation patterns and investment approaches have evolved across the DC universe. For hedge fund managers, institutional investors, and alternative investment professionals, the resulting DC Future Book report will provide critical intelligence on pension fund positioning, default strategy exposure, and capital allocation patterns that may signal broader institutional investment flows and risk appetite within the retirement savings sector.
The survey targets DC schemes and providers to collect multi-dimensional information spanning scheme size, member pension pots, default investment strategies, asset allocations, and fee structures. This data collection effort directly supports the development of the PPI's 2026 DC Future Book report, a flagship research publication that synthesizes market trends and provides evidence-based analysis for institutional stakeholders.
The scale of the DC market underscores the survey's relevance to institutional investors and pension professionals. The sector encompasses 52 million pension pots with aggregate assets under management totaling £379.8 billion, representing a mature and substantial institutional market segment. This data foundation enables the PPI to track structural changes, asset allocation shifts, and evolving investment strategies across schemes and providers over time.
The survey's scope extends beyond static snapshots to encompass trend analysis, capturing how asset allocation patterns and investment approaches have evolved across the DC universe. For hedge fund managers, institutional investors, and alternative investment professionals, the resulting DC Future Book report will provide critical intelligence on pension fund positioning, default strategy exposure, and capital allocation patterns that may signal broader institutional investment flows and risk appetite within the retirement savings sector.
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