Results of a 1,000-person poll about consumer attitudes toward insurance coverage. See whether Americans think they have the right level of insurance coverage.

1. 1,000 person poll:
insurance attitudes
and experiences
July 2014

2. 1
Executive summary
PolicyGenius and OnePoll polled 1,000 adults, who in the past year have made an insurance-related decision, to
understand perceptions and attitudes about insurance coverage in the US. We found:
 The majority of respondents either don’t think they have the right level of insurance coverage (50%) or have no idea if
they do (7%)
 One possible reason for this is that insurance is largely out of sight and out of mind. For most respondents, insurance
was the lowest-ranked financial priority – behind saving for retirement, paying down debt and sticking to a budget
 We also found that a recent negative insurance experience is strongly associated with perceived under-insurance. Of
respondents who reported “I probably have less insurance than I need,” 48% reported that their last insurance
experience was negative vs. 21% reported that their last insurance experience was positive.
 There is also an opportunity to improve the experience, and increase conversion, among insurance shoppers who end
up not buying coverage. Among respondents who have shopped for long-term disability insurance or life insurance,
and did not buy, the majority had negative feelings about their shopping experience.
 Most respondents take an online, DIY approach to getting their insurance questions answered. When asked where’s
the first place they go with an insurance question, 59% said, “I research it myself online.” Only 27% turn to an
insurance agent or financial advisor and 10% ask a trusted friend or family member.
 The DIYers are more confident in their financial risk protection than respondents who rely on others for advice: 60% of
DIYers are “pretty confident” in their protection against financial risks vs. 56% of respondents who rely on an
agent/advisor and 31% of respondents who rely on friends or family. Interestingly, respondents who turn first to friends
or family for insurance questions are most in the dark about their protection: 17% said “I have no idea” when asked
about their protection against financial risks, versus 5% of DIYers and 8% of agent/advisor advice seekers.

3. 2
The majority of respondents are not
confident about their insurance portfolio
Q. Consider the types and amount of insurance you have. How would you describe your overall level of insurance?
Percent of respondents
50% reported a sub-optimal mix (either too much or
not enough insurance) and 7% had no idea
I have no idea whether I have
the right types and amount of
insurance
7%
I probably
have less
insurance
than I need
28%
I probably have more insurance than I need
22%
I probably have the
right types and
amount of insurance
43%
I have no idea whether I have the right types & amount of
insurance
I probably have less insurance than I need
I probably have more insurance than I need
I probably have the right types and amount of insurance
25 – 34 year olds in particular reported sub-optimal
insurance: 54% reported either too much or not enough
6
27
27
40
25 – 34
9
27
20
44
35 – 44
7
34
12
47 45 – 54
Source: Survey conducted by OnePoll, June 2014; 1000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 who have either looked into buying new insurance or
changing insurance within the past year.

4. 3
Women are less confident about their protection
against financial risks
Q. How confident are you that you’re protected against major financial risks?
Percent of respondents
4.9
33.7
61.4
8.8
40.6
50.6
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
I have no idea
Not too confident
Pretty confident
Women
Men
Source: Survey conducted by OnePoll, June 2014; 1000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 who have either looked into buying new insurance or
changing insurance within the past year.

5. 4
DIYers are more confident in their financial risk
protection than respondents who rely on others
for advice
17.4
52.0
30.6
7.8
36.1
56.1
2.2
43.2
54.6
5.1
34.8
60.1
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
I have no idea
Not too confident
Pretty confident
Read insurance company information
Ask my agent or advisor
Ask trusted friend or family
Q. How confident are you that you’re protected against major financial risks?
Percent of respondents
Self-research online
Respondents whose
first port of call for
insurance advice is
friends or family are
least confident and
most in the dark
Q. If you have a question about insurance,
where is the first place you go?
Source: Survey conducted by OnePoll, June 2014; 1000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 who have either looked into buying new insurance or
changing insurance within the past year.

6. 5
For most respondents, insurance was the lowest ranked
financial priority – behind saving for retirement, paying
down debt and sticking to a budget
Q. Please rank the financial priorities in order of preference, where 1 is most important and 4 is least important
Percent of respondents who ranked the priority #1 (most important)
Budget
Debt
Retirement
Insurance
17
23
14
9
20
15
21 21 22
16 16
25
29
26
29
35
26
3233
29
35
39
38
27
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Overall 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 Men Women
Insurance ranked higher for 25-34 year-olds and men
Source: Survey conducted by OnePoll, June 2014; 1000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 who have either looked into buying new insurance or
changing insurance within the past year.

7. 6
Respondents whose last insurance experience
was negative were more likely to report having
less insurance than they need
Q. Consider the types and amount of insurance you have. How would you describe your overall level of insurance?
Percent of respondents
More negative than positive
More positive than negative
4.6
21.0
30.3
44.1
5.6
47.5
14.4
32.5
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
No idea whether I have the right types and amount of
insurance
I probably have less insurance than I need
I probably have more insurance than I need
I probably have the right types and amount of insurance
Q. Think about the last experience you had
dealing with insurance, other than health
insurance. How would you describe that
experience?
Source: Survey conducted by OnePoll, June 2014; 1000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 who have either looked into buying new insurance or
changing insurance within the past year

8. 7
Most respondents take an online, DIY approach to getting their
insurance answered
Q. If you have a question about insurance, where is the first place you go?
Percent of respondents
4.3
8.2
24.7
62.9
4.5
11.4
29.0
55.1
0 20 40 60 80
I read information provided
by insurance companies
I ask a trusted friend or
family
I ask my insurance agent or
financial advisor
I research it myself online
Source: Survey conducted by OnePoll, June 2014; 1000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 who have either looked into buying new insurance or
changing insurance within the past year.
Overall strong preference online DIY research
While still mostly online DIYers, women more likely than
men to seek advice elsewhere
4.4
9.8
26.9
58.9
0 20 40 60 80
I read information provided
by insurance companies
I ask a trusted friend or
family
I ask my insurance agent or
financial advisor
I research it myself online
Women
Men

9. 8
Online DIY approach is most popular across all age
groups
Q. If you have a question about insurance, where is the first place you go?
Percent of respondents
4.3
10.7
22.3
62.7
5.3
8.7
28.4
57.6
2.7
8.7
35.9
52.7
0 20 40 60 80
I read information provided by insurance
companies
I ask a trusted friend or family
I ask my insurance agent or financial advisor
I research it myself online
45 – 54 year olds
35 – 44 year olds
25 – 34 year olds
Source: Survey conducted by OnePoll, June 2014; 1000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 who have either looked into buying new insurance or
changing insurance within the past year.

10. 9
Majority of non-buyers of long-term disability insurance
reported negative feelings after their shopping experience
Q. Have you ever shopped for long-term disability
insurance on your own (not through an employer)?
Percent of respondents employed full-time
Yes, and I bought it
31%
Yes, but I didn't
buy it
16%
No, but I'm familiar with what it is
42%
No, and I'm
not familiar
with what it
is
11%
Q. Which of the following best describes how you felt
after your long-term disability shopping experience?
Percent of respondents employed full-time
29.8
21.6
35.1
13.5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
I'm not sure I
made the right
decision
It felt too
complicated
It gave me
peace of mind
It was pretty
straightforward
Negative experience
Positive experience
Source: Survey conducted by OnePoll, June 2014; 695 Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 who have looked into buying new insurance or changing
insurance within the past year and are employed full-time

11. 10
Similarly, most parents who shopped for and didn’t buy life
insurance reported negative feelings after their shopping
experience
Q. Have you ever shopped life insurance on your own
(not through an employer)?
Percent of respondents with children
Yes, and I bought it
54%
Yes, but I didn't
buy it
22%
No, but I'm familiar
with what it is
21%
No, and I'm not familiar with
what it is
3%
Q. Which of the following best describes how you felt
after your life insurance shopping experience?
Percent of respondents with children
33.6
30.0
21.7
14.7
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
I'm not sure I
made the right
decision
It felt too
complicated
It gave me
peace of mind
It was pretty
straightforward
Negative experience
Positive experience
Source: Survey conducted by OnePoll, June 2014; 664 Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 who have looked into buying new insurance or changing
insurance within the past year and have children

12. 11
US at a glance: the Midwest is most in the dark when it comes to
their protection against financial risks
Q. How confident are you that you’re protected against major financial risks?
Percent of respondents who said “I have no idea”
7.2%10.8%
5.7%
5.3%
4.7%
5.3%
East Coast
South
South West
West Coast
Mid-west
West
6.8%
USA
Source: Survey conducted by OnePoll, June 2014; 1000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 who have either looked into buying new insurance or
changing insurance within the past year

13. 12
US at a glance: the Midwest is more likely to seek insurance
advice from others
Q. If you have a question about insurance, where is the first place you go?
Percent of respondents that would ask their “Insurance agent/financial advisor” or “Trusted friend/family member”
34%45%
34%
36%
32%
35%
East Coast
South
South West
West Coast
Mid-west
West
37%
USA
Source: Survey conducted by OnePoll, June 2014; 1000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 who have either looked into buying new insurance or
changing insurance within the past year

14. 13
US at a glance: West Coast respondents report lowest level of
long-term disability protection
Q. Do you have long-term disability insurance?
Percent of respondents employed full-time
32%41%
27%
38%
31%
33%
East Coast
South
South West
West Coast
Mid-west
West
34%
USA
Source: Survey conducted by OnePoll, June 2014; 695 Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 who have looked into buying new insurance or changing
insurance within the past year and are employed full-time