U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study

Understand What Drives Satisfaction and Trust in Life Insurance

The U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study analyzes the needs, expectations, and experiences of today’s life insurance customers. It helps insurers strengthen satisfaction, deepen relationships, and build long-term advocacy across diverse policyholder segments.

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What It Measures

A Complete Benchmark of the Life Insurance Customer Experience

Evaluates customer experience across eight core dimensions:
• Product offerings
• Problem resolution
• Service availability
• Digital channels
• People (agents, call center, service staff)
• Value for the price
• Trust
• Ease of doing business

Includes:
• Verified voice-of-the-customer data
• Annual wave reporting for trend visibility
• Competitive benchmarks across national carriers
• Annual award recognition for top performers

How it works

How the Life Insurance Study Works

  • Collects verified customer feedback across eight relationship and service dimensions.
  • Benchmarks performance across top carriers and segments.
  • Identifies key differences in experience by distribution model, demographic profile, and product type.
  • Provides a complete view of the policyholder journey—from shopping to servicing.

Core Strengths

Insights That Guide Growth in a Highly Personal Category

• Informs acquisition and retention strategies with objective customer feedback
• Identifies the performance drivers that matter most for policyholder satisfaction
• Helps insurers support distribution networks with experience insights that improve client relationships
• Provides clarity on where carriers lag or lead the competition

Business Impact

Improve Loyalty, Retention, and Customer Lifetime Value

• Increases customer satisfaction through targeted improvements across service and digital channels
• Strengthens trust and advocacy in a category where confidence is critical
• Supports growth across product lines by identifying unmet needs and opportunity segments
• Drives stronger customer lifetime value by improving ongoing experience quality

Key Dates

2026

Field Start: July 2025
Wave 1 Publish: April 7, 2026
Wave 2 Publish: October 1, 2026
Press Release: October 8, 2026

2027

Field Start: July 2026
W1 Publish:  April 6, 2027
W2 Publish:  October 7, 2027
Press Release:  October 14, 2027

Press Release & Award Information

JD Power issues national press releases highlighting key findings and top-to-bottom rankings from award-eligible studies. The brand(s) that rank highest in each award-eligible segment and meet predetermined award criteria will have the opportunity to enter into a licensing agreement through the JD Power Awards Program, which requires subscribing to the study as a prerequisite.

Access JD Power Press Releases Learn More About Awards
Three identical JD Power awards made of clear glass with gold bases and text. Each award features the JD Power logo and the phrase 'The Voice of The Customer'.

Profiled Brands

2026 Brands Targeted to be Profiled

Brighthouse Financial
Corebridge Financial
Equitable
Globe Life
Guardian Life
John Hancock
Lincoln Financial Group
MassMutual
Midland National Life
Mutual of Omaha
National Life Group
Nationwide
New York Life
Northwestern Mutual
Pacific Life
PennMutual
Primerica
Principal
Protective Life
Prudential
Securian
State Farm
Transamerica (AEGON)

(final profiled list available upon study publication)

2027 Brands Targeted to be Profiled

Individual (Agent/Broker/Advisor) Segment
  • Brighthouse Financial
  • Corebridge Financial
  • Equitable
  • Guardian Life
  • John Hancock
  • Lincoln Financial Group
  • MassMutual
  • Midland National Life
  • Mutual of Omaha
  • National Life Group
  • New York Life
  • Northwestern Mutual
  • Pacific Life
  • PennMutual
  • Primerica
  • Principal
  • Protective Life
  • Prudential
  • Securian
  • State Farm
  • Transamerica (AEGON)

(final profiled list available upon study publication)

2027 Brands Targeted to be Profiled

Individual (Digital Direct) Segment
  • AAA
  • Gerber Life
  • Globe Life
  • Mutual of Omaha
  • Nationwide
  • New York Life
  • TruStage

New in 2027

The J.D. Power U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study now has 2 segments: Digital Direct and Agent/Broker/Advisor.

While best effort actions will be taken, it is possible that these new segments will not have sufficient sample to meet Award eligibility requirements.

Three professionals in a meeting, two listening intently while a laptop displays data visualizations on a white table.

Who should use it

Built for Leaders Responsible for Customer Growth

• C-suite executives
• Customer experience leaders
• Product and strategy teams • Marketing and operations leaders

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Insights Available at a Touch of a Button

Subscribers have full access to benchmark reporting, competitor analysis, and more with PowerSource.

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