Between self-reliance and structural exclusion: a qualitative exploration of financial planning for later life in the UK Chinese community

Purpose Pension inequality represents a significant dimension of social welfare exclusion, yet research has often overlooked the experiences of specific minority groups. The Chinese ethnic minority group is one of the UK's oldest and socioeconomically successful minority populations, but Chinese households remain significantly less likely to receive pension incomes. To explore this paradox, this study investigates attitudes towards retirement planning, saving practices and perceptions of the pension system among Chinese community members. Design/methodology/approach The study employs a qualitative design drawing on focus group discussion and interviews with 29 participants. Data were analysed thematically, foregrounding participants' lived experiences of financial planning and pension engagement. Findings Findings highlight the role of intergenerational expectations, migration histories, language barriers and institutional mistrust, among others, in shaping financial behaviours and engagement with welfare systems. The study argues that current pension frameworks inadequately reflect the realities of many in the Chinese community, resulting in welfare exclusion. Practical implications The study offers recommendations for welfare practitioners and policymakers, including the provision of multilingual pension information, community-based outreach and culturally responsive frontline services. Social implications The findings underscore the need for pension frameworks and welfare systems that accommodate the diverse employment trajectories, migration histories and cultural contexts of ethnic minority communities. Originality/value This study provides rare qualitative insight into the financial preparedness of the Chinese community in the UK which is an underrepresented population whose distinct experiences of welfare exclusion have been largely absent from mainstream pension policy and research.