A new survey reveals a striking public sentiment against cuts to disability benefits as protests erupted in Parliament Square in 2025. Amid rising political concerns surrounding the escalating costs associated with disability benefits, only 7% of respondents expressed support for reducing payments to disabled individuals unable to work. Almost half, a substantial 49%, called for increased spending on disability benefits, even if it meant paying higher taxes. This finding stands out, especially given that support for boosting welfare spending for the impoverished has reached a near record low.
Political figures from Labour, the Conservative party, and Reform UK have voiced a need to reevaluate the funding allocated to health and disability benefits. On the flip side, the Liberal Democrats, Greens, and the SNP firmly oppose any cuts. Last year, Sir Keir Starmer faced significant backlash from members of his own party for attempting to introduce cuts, ultimately leading to a government retreat from those proposals. It’s clear that the public’s stance is not easily swayed…
For the past four decades, the UK’s expenditure on welfare benefits for working-age individuals has remained relatively flat, hovering just under 5% of GDP. It has occasionally surged above this mark during specific periods, such as the 1990s, after the financial crisis in 2008, and during the Covid pandemic. Yet, the survey highlighted that public support for increasing welfare payments to assist the underprivileged has dwindled, sitting at one of the lowest levels recorded by researchers. When asked about boosting payments, only 27% agreed while a notable 42% opposed the idea.
Now, while the overall welfare spending has stabilized, payments for disability benefits have grown to take a larger slice of the welfare pie. Current statistics show that around four million individuals in England and Wales are recipients of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which serves as the primary disability benefit. The annual expenditure has surged from £16.3 billion in 2019/20 to a staggering £27.3 billion in 2024/25, with projections suggesting it could exceed £41 billion by 2030. Yet, despite these figures, nearly half of those surveyed expressed support for ramping up spending on disability benefits overall, and a clear majority backed additional payments to cover the costs associated with living with disabilities.
A striking 83% of respondents indicated they favored extra payments for cooking assistance, 80% for budgeting help, and 78% for washing needs. Conversely, only 3% were in favor of the notion that “nobody should receive additional funds.” Despite the rising political rifts surrounding welfare, support for disability benefits remains remarkably robust, as the co-authors of the survey noted. Plans to reform PIP are set to be announced by the government this autumn, following an interim report released in the summer that deemed the benefit “not fit for purpose.”
Among Labour voters surveyed, approximately 57% were in favor of increased spending on disability benefits. However, there appears to be a broad political consensus against cuts; merely 5% of Labour supporters, 7% of Conservative voters, and 11% of Reform UK backers were in favor of slashing these payments. The British Social Attitudes Survey, conducted by the National Centre for Social Research, has been tracking public opinion since 1983. The latest round of interviews, comprising 4,656 responses collected between August and October 2025, took place shortly after the Starmer government’s failed PIP reform attempt, lending an intriguing context to the findings. It’s worth noting that public attitudes often reflect a belief that many disabled individuals are “deserving” of support.
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Kaynak: Orijinal Haber