Inheritance and the Family: Attitudes to Will-Making and Intestacy

National Centre for Social Research Working Paper

138 Pages Posted: 20 Sep 2010 Last revised: 7 Nov 2010

See all articles by Alun Humphrey

Alun Humphrey

National Centre for Social Research (NatCen)

Gareth Morrell

National Centre for Social Research (NatCen)

Lisa Mills

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Gillian Douglas

The Dickson Poon School of Law

Hilary Woodward

Cardiff University - Cardiff Law School

Date Written: August 16, 2010

Abstract

This report provides robust data on attitudes in England and Wales to will-making and what the law should be when people die without making a will (intestacy). Evidence from the study is being used by the Law Commission to review how inheritance law should be shaped for a society in which divorce, remarriage and cohabitation have become common features of family life. This was a mixed method study. The quantitative element comprised a module of questions run on two consecutive waves of the NatCen Omnibus Survey in 2009, the second wave being used to boost the number of respondents in certain key groups of interest. The qualitative study involved 30 depth interviews with people who had taken part in the survey, purposively sampled in order to explore a range of views and attitudes in more detail. The study found that around one-third of respondents had made a will and there was strong support for the principle of freedom of testation. The range of beneficiairies mentioned in the will or considered as eligible to inherit on intestacy, was narrow, largely confined to spouses or partners and children or, in their absence, parents and siblings. More remote kin, and friends, carers and charities were much less commonly mentioned. Respondents were supportive of including cohabitants in the intestacy rules, though evidence of their 'commitment' to the deceased was important, to be shown either by having a child together or by the duration of their relationship. They were also keen to ensure that children of former relationships are not excluded from provision because of the deceased's marriage to a second spouse.

Keywords: Inheritance, Intestacy, Will-Making, Families

Suggested Citation

Humphrey, Alun and Morrell, Gareth and Mills, Lisa and Douglas, Gillian and Woodward, Hilary, Inheritance and the Family: Attitudes to Will-Making and Intestacy (August 16, 2010). National Centre for Social Research Working Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1677869 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1677869

Alun Humphrey

National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) ( email )

London EC1V OAX
United Kingdom

Gareth Morrell

National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) ( email )

London EC1V OAX
United Kingdom

Lisa Mills

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

Gillian Douglas (Contact Author)

The Dickson Poon School of Law ( email )

Somerset House East Wing
Strand Campus
London, WC2R 2LS
United Kingdom
+44 (0)2078481367 (Phone)

Hilary Woodward

Cardiff University - Cardiff Law School ( email )

PO Box 427
Cardiff, Wales CF10 3AX
United Kingdom

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
358
Abstract Views
1,928
Rank
134,622
PlumX Metrics