Live streaming of funerals finds favour with Millennials, survey finds

A third of Millennials would be willing to watch a loved one's funeral using live streaming technology if they could not attend it in person, a survey has found.

Some 33% of 18 to 34-year-olds would use live streaming if it was available and they could not attend a funeral in person, Royal London found.

This compared with 26% of those aged 55-plus and 23% of those aged 35 to 54.

Royal London said growing numbers of funeral directors and crematoria are now offering live streaming of funerals.

More than half (58%) of 50 UK crematoria and funeral directors Royal London spoke to offer a live-streaming service in response to interest that they have seen in this service.

A survey of more than 2,000 people by Royal London found a third (33%) of adults have had to miss the funeral of a loved one, with some being unable to take time off work and others saying the funeral was held too far away for them to be able to attend.

But more than half (54%) of people thought watching a live stream of a funeral could be insensitive, while 27% felt they would not be able to grieve in the same way.

Mona Patel, Royal London's consumer spokeswoman, said: "It is understandable that most people would prefer to attend a funeral in person wherever possible.

"But with so many people saying they have been forced to miss a funeral, live streaming could be an option for those who would like to pay their last respects but aren't able to attend in person.

"Many older people are not comfortable with this, but it is noticeable that younger people are much more open to paying their respects in a different way."

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