Only tiny fraction of UK population think disability benefits are too high

Chris Jarvis 

Today

LEFT FOOT FORWARD


The public overestimates the amount of money being paid in Personal Independence Payments but don't think it is too high

New polling suggests that only a tiny fraction of the UK population think that benefits paid to disabled people are too high.

The poll – from Savanta for the i newspaper – has found that just 12 per cent of Brits think that the payments are ‘much too high’ or ‘slightly too high’.

That’s in contrast to the 30 per cent of people who think they are ‘much too low’ or ‘slightly too low’.

This is despite the pubic significantly overestimating the amount of money that is paid in Personal Independence Payments – the benefits which are intended to help with extra living costs if a person has a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and difficulty doing everyday tasks or getting around because of those conditions or disability.

According to Savanta’s poll, only 14 per cent thought it was close to the actual typical rate of £290. By contrast, 39 per cent thought the payments were over £500 and 21 per cent (one in five) thought they were as high as £700.

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward