Waking up to working for longer

In 2005, 82 per cent of people planned to retire before the state pension age, with men expecting to stop work at an average age of 60, while women thought they would retire when they were 59, according to insurance giant Aviva.

But recent research carried out by the group found that 68 per cent of people now plan to work on past the state pension age, while one in 10 think they will never retire.

Only a third of people thought they would stop work when they were aged between 61 and 65, with 29 per cent expecting to retire between the ages of 66 and 70.

Clive Bolton, Aviva's 'at retirement' director, said: "It is interesting to see how people's perceptions have shifted in as little as five years.

"This research shows that when raising the state retirement age was first discussed in 2005, people remained optimistic that they would still be able to retire in their late 50s or early 60s.

"However, as our latest report shows, there has been a sobering realisation since then that this is unlikely to be the case, with nearly 70 per cent of adults now planning to work beyond the current state retirement age."