A UK survey shows a growing trend for buying life insurance over the phone, while online purchases are static.

Pacific Life Re says its latest survey shows 12% of consumers want to buy cover over the phone, compared with only 4% in a 2010 survey.

For online purchasing the figure was 46% in 2010, dropping to 45% last year.

The online survey of 2000 UK adults shows the proportion who want to buy through advisers fell from 37% to 29%. Paper applications by post were static at about 13%.

Half of respondents in the 25-44 age group use online services, compared with 25% for ages 18-24 and 65-74.

About 40% of respondents aged 18-24 prefer to buy life insurance face to face through an adviser.

“That might be why 15% of consumers would consider buying life insurance through their bank,” Pacific Life Re says. “But of this 15%, almost half would prefer to buy their insurance through their personal online banking.”

When asked which institution they would buy from, 28% say direct from the life insurer, while 18% favour price comparators, with banks on 15% and financial advisers 13%.

Only 4% would buy life cover from a car insurance company, lower than supermarkets (5%).