The study, undertaken by the Department of Work and Pensions, claims that three-quarters of companies offering stakeholder pensions have yet to accrue any members.

However, a spokeswoman for the department said in relation to the limited uptake of stakeholder pensions: “The government always said it would take time to change people’s savings habits.

“Getting pension schemes established that can be accessed through the workplace was a very important first step.”

A possible explanation for the slow uptake is provided in another survey published today, conducted in conjunction by Tiscali.co.uk and the TUC, which shows that two-thirds of employees did not know their rights regarding stakeholder pensions.

Richard Ayers, editor of Tiscali.co.uk, told the Guardian: “Employers are responsible for giving information about stakeholder pensions to every employee who has been in the company more than three months.

“If nearly two-thirds don’t know about it then it implies that many companies are not fulfilling their obligations.”