Half of families have satellite TV but just 40% have life insurance.
The report also found only 13% of families had critical illness cover while 14% had insurance for their mobile phone.
Similarly 13% had taken out an extended warranty on electrical items, more than the 10% who had taken out income protection insurance.
The report found that over a quarter of families, 27% admitted they did not want to discuss their debts with their family. The only topic that made families more uncomfortable than finances was sex at 56%.
Louise Colley, head of protection sales and marketing, Aviva, said: “No-one likes to dwell on poor health or mortality but by denying that illness or worse, people are stopping themselves putting measures in place to protect their loved ones.
“Too many people assume that someone else will step in and look after their families if they weren’t there to provide for them but the reality is very different.”
Colley added that people needed to ask themselves just how they would pay for their accommodation, their food and all the other costs of living, should they suddenly lose an income.
She said: “While no-one likes to think about “what-ifs”, by not even considering these scenarios, people could be putting the future financial security of their families at unnecessary risk.
“So many customers report feeling peace of mind when they take out life cover and knowing their affairs are in order, so we’d urge families to overcome their taboos and put protection in place.”
