Key Takeaways
- • The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) launched its 2026 Defined Contribution (DC) Asset Allocation Survey on June 15, 2026, now in its ninth year as the largest survey of its kind in the DC pension market.
- • The survey collects comprehensive data from DC schemes and providers on scheme size, member pot values, default investment strategies, and asset allocations to establish an evidence base for pension industry analysis.
- • Survey findings will directly inform the PPI's 2026 DC Future Book report, an annual publication that serves as a key reference for institutional investors, trustees, and pension professionals assessing the DC landscape.
- • The survey addresses critical metrics including scheme charges and asset allocation patterns across the entire DC universe, providing institutional-grade intelligence on how defined contribution capital is deployed across asset classes.
Summary
The Pensions Policy Institute has launched its annual DC Asset Allocation Survey for 2026, reaffirming its position as the definitive data collection exercise for the defined contribution pension sector. Now in its ninth iteration, the survey operates as the largest of its kind, systematically capturing information from DC schemes and service providers across the United Kingdom pension market.
The survey's scope encompasses the full range of operational and investment metrics critical to institutional understanding of DC pension schemes. Data collection focuses on scheme size, member account values, default investment strategy frameworks, asset allocation decisions, and scheme charges. This multi-dimensional approach enables the PPI to construct a comprehensive evidence base that reflects how capital flows across asset classes within the DC ecosystem and how schemes structure their default strategies for members.
The 2026 survey results will be synthesized into the PPI's DC Future Book report, an annual publication that has become essential reading for pension trustees, investment consultants, in-house pension professionals, and institutional investors monitoring DC market dynamics. The DC Future Book provides trend analysis and comparative benchmarking data that informs strategic decision-making across the pension industry, particularly for trustees and plan sponsors evaluating their own asset allocation positioning relative to market peers.
By collecting granular data on scheme characteristics, member demographics, investment strategy design, and actual asset allocation outcomes, the survey generates actionable market intelligence on industry consolidation patterns, charge reduction trends, and shifts in how DC schemes position capital across equities, bonds, alternatives, and other asset classes. This intelligence is particularly valuable for institutional investors and family offices with exposure to pension-related investments or considering DC consolidation opportunities.
The survey's scope encompasses the full range of operational and investment metrics critical to institutional understanding of DC pension schemes. Data collection focuses on scheme size, member account values, default investment strategy frameworks, asset allocation decisions, and scheme charges. This multi-dimensional approach enables the PPI to construct a comprehensive evidence base that reflects how capital flows across asset classes within the DC ecosystem and how schemes structure their default strategies for members.
The 2026 survey results will be synthesized into the PPI's DC Future Book report, an annual publication that has become essential reading for pension trustees, investment consultants, in-house pension professionals, and institutional investors monitoring DC market dynamics. The DC Future Book provides trend analysis and comparative benchmarking data that informs strategic decision-making across the pension industry, particularly for trustees and plan sponsors evaluating their own asset allocation positioning relative to market peers.
By collecting granular data on scheme characteristics, member demographics, investment strategy design, and actual asset allocation outcomes, the survey generates actionable market intelligence on industry consolidation patterns, charge reduction trends, and shifts in how DC schemes position capital across equities, bonds, alternatives, and other asset classes. This intelligence is particularly valuable for institutional investors and family offices with exposure to pension-related investments or considering DC consolidation opportunities.
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