A poll of 2,000 adults shows Millennials first seriously start to think about their funeral at 39, while Gen X wait until 48 and Baby Boomers until 59, but Gen Z are thinking about theirs by 29
Younger Brits are planning their own funerals before any other age group – but not revealing their plans to their loved ones. They are considering what songs to have, whether they are cremated or buried and who to invite by the time they reach 29.
By contrast, a poll of 2,000 adults shows Millennials first seriously start to think about their funeral at 39, while Gen X wait until 48 and Baby Boomers until 59.
But the forward-thinking Gen Zers – those born between 1997 and 2012 – are taking their plans to grave with them, new research shows. More than one in five say they thinking about or planning elements of their funeral without telling those closest to them.
The study showed 24% have considered if they want to be buried or cremated and 22% have thought about the music or songs they want played.
A further 21% have considered who they would want to attend, while 16% have thought about the coffin or urn, where the funeral would be held and the type of service they would want.
And despite being decades away from old age, Gen Z have also put aside an average of £773 towards the cost of their funeral, a survey conducted by Interflora shows.
Flowers are also playing a more personal role in the Gen Z send-off, with more than a quarter (28%) choosing their favourite flowers or blooms which represented them for their own funeral, while just 9% would opt for traditional funeral flowers such as lilies.
Bethany Day, from Interflora, said: “For many of us, knowing how to support someone who is grieving, and what to say when words don’t seem enough, can feel incredibly difficult.
“Sometimes a simple gesture like flowers can offer a way to show that you’re thinking of someone, while increasingly people also want funeral flowers to reflect the personality and life of the person being remembered.”
Despite knowing exactly what they want as their loved ones say goodbye, almost three quarters (74%) are worried about saying the wrong thing to somebody who is grieving, the study shows.
More than half (56%) have completely avoided somebody after a death because they did not know what to say. And more than four in 10 Gen Z (43%) have sent flowers because it felt easier than trying to find the right words themselves.