Respondents were first asked whether they had ever arranged a funeral on behalf of someone else. Of the 67% who had, less than half (42%) say they had known their loved ones’ exact funeral wishes. 40% ‘partly’ knew the funeral wishes of the deceased, whilst almost one fifth (18%) didn’t know their wishes at all.
Arranging a funeral is an extremely personal thing. If you’ve ever had to do this on behalf of someone else, you’ll appreciate just how many decisions there are to be made, such as whether the deceased would have wanted a religious or secular funeral. You must also consider whether they’d have liked something traditional or more modern, the music, if any, they’d like played and who to invite. Even key funeral decisions may not be as straightforward as they once were. For example, when choosing between burial or cremation, there are now more eco-friendly alternatives to be considered, such as woodland burials and water cremations – now being piloted in the UK..
Therefore unsurprisingly, when asked what impact either not knowing or only partially knowing the deceased’s funeral wishes had had on arranging their funeral, a staggering 39% of respondents said it had increased the stress by some extent.
However, of those that did know their loved one’s funeral wishes, only 70% of over 50s say they followed them exactly. One respondent commented: “He wanted a cardboard coffin as it's more eco friendly [sic] but I didn't like them so bought a wicker one”. Others say they faced financial restrictions, or were unfortunately limited by Covid protocols at the time.
Emma Simpson, Marketing Manager for Ecclesiastical Planning Services said: “It’s not surprising to learn that respondents found funeral planning more stressful when they did not know the wishes of their loved ones. Of course, taking out a pre-paid funeral plan can reduce this worry, and ensures financial provision is made. But even when this is not possible, we would always encourage people to discuss their funeral wishes, to reduce uncertainty when the time comes.”
Source: OnePoll research of 1,000 UK residents aged 50 and above, on behalf of Ecclesiastical Planning Services, October 2023.