According to life insurer Scottish Widows, 49% of people are not setting aside the money they will need when they stop work.
20% of those are failing to save anything at all.
The report, which looked at people aged between 30 and state pension age, says the provision figures have remained low for the past 5 years - before the financial crisis set in.
Overall, the group estimated that those questioned needed to save an extra £58 a month on average.
Ian Naismith, head of pensions market development at Scottish Widows, said: "We need a step-change to overcome this ingrained inertia and help people prepare for their retirement."
Only one in five people said they would be happy to work until they were 70.