It doesn't really require that much force. Subjectively, it feels to me like Peek requires less force than pushing the Home button, and Pop requires a bit more, but not significantly more.

Also, under Accessibility, there is a way to control the 3D Touch sensitivity, so it requires less (or more) force to activate.

That said, for people who use alternative input mechanisms (whether it be various forms of assistive touch, or just using VoiceOver), AFAIK they can't 3D Touch (well, you can 3D Touch with VoiceOver, but only if you can see where to push; there's no way to trigger 3D touch on the highlighted element if it's not under your finger).