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May 10, 2013 at 10:23 AM
Market researchers at Unum Group Corp. (NYSE:UNM) have come out with survey results that hint at which parties could really benefit from increased worker use of disability insurance: the credit card companies.
For a major report on the U.S. employee benefits market and employee benefits education efforts, Unum commissioned an online survey of 1,890 working adults ages 18 and older.
The company found that only 50 percent of the participants said they were “very confident” or “somewhat confident” that they would have enough savings to handle future expenses or to cope with an accident or illness that interfered with their ability to work. 
The percentage who said they were confident about their finances has dropped from 54 percent in 2011, and the percentage who said they were “not at all confident” increased to 22 percent, from 19 percent.
The researchers also asked workers about the resources they would try to tap if they became disabled. Here are the top five.
1. Personal savings
The most common answer given by survey participants of all ages was “personal savings.”
About 56 percent of the participants of all ages said they think of their personal savings as being a key part of their safety net.
That may not be much of a safety net, because other researchers have found that the typical worker is living paycheck to paycheck.
2. Family
The second most popular source of protection against loss of ability to work was “immediate family.”
The popularity of that answer varied widely with age.
About 62 percent of participants ages 18 to 34 and 58 percent of participants ages 35 to 44 said they would ask relatives for help in a crisis.
