Are we seeing the demise of traditional funerals?
ANDOVER, England, March 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A landmark study has revealed the reasons behind recent seismic changes in the UK's attitude towards funerals, explaining why people are abandoning traditional ceremonies and undertakers.
The Big Future of Funerals Survey was undertaken by Pure Cremation, the UK's leading provider of direct cremation, and was compiled from answers provided by a staggering 17,135 of its pre-paid plan customers. The data offers unrivalled insight into how consumer attitudes have changed and how UK funerals will evolve.
The survey respondents had all chosen to pre-purchase a direct cremation for their own send-off, a simple service where the deceased is collected, cared for, and then cremated without a funeral ceremony or mourners present at the crematorium. This means the survey shines a light on how Britons will say goodbye to someone special in the years to come.
Among the key findings are:
- 54% want less stress for the family and friends they leave behind when arranging their send-off
- 52% want to express their life through the ashes' final resting place - a fundamental shift in focus and location when saying goodbye
- A staggering 77% said they didn't need any professional help to arrange the farewell event - indicating a reduced role for funeral professionals
In the last four years, the demand for direct cremation has more than quadrupled and is expected to match the demand for burials within the next three years.
Pure Cremation's co-founder Catherine Powell said: "The existing trend towards celebrating the life rather than mourning the death is gathering pace because it's much easier to make a funeral more personal when you 'uncouple' the cremation from the ceremonial elements.
"We've become used to bespoke weddings, and we're seeing a similar evolution in funerals with families now able to choose the perfect location, style and timing for their farewell."
Pure' experts have also come up with a series of predictions based on the research:
1. Farewells will become 'invitation' events held separately from the cremation and we will see a longer interval between the death and goodbye to allow enough time to plan the event.
2. Fewer ceremonies will be held at 'death venues' like crematoria, but hospitality and heritage venues could begin to offer farewell packages.
3. Ashes, not coffins, will become more of a focus for mourners. For many years the number of families choosing formal disposition of the ashes in a cemetery has declined. It feels natural to 'upgrade' the laying to rest of the ashes to be the main farewell event.
4. There will be fewer funeral directors and celebrants in the future, and traditional funeral services could become more expensive - further increasing the appeal of direct cremation.
The full report can be found here: https://www.purecremation.co.uk/bffs-report
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