28m adults 'have not written wills'.

In the UK there are more than 28 million adults who have not written a will, new figures from Opinium Research suggest.

That amounts to more than half (58%) of the adult population without a will - and yet the survey also revealed a desire among people to pass on money and valuables to their loved ones.

Almost three-quarters (74%) of adults said they would like to pass on cash to loved ones when they die and over half (56%) said they would like to leave assets like paintings and jewellery.

Children and grandchildren appear to be the main focus of people's planning, with 36% of adults saying they want to leave enough money to help fund their child or grandchild's future in some way.

Over a fifth (22%) said they would like to add to their child or grandchild's savings and 13% said they would like to pay for their fees at university.

However, almost half of respondents revealed they have not considered the issue of inheritance tax and around one in 10 (11%) were not aware it could affect their estate.

The poll revealed that 65% of people are planning to pass on property worth on average £199,000.

Copyright Press Association 2012