Government plans “completely out of step with public opinion” as clear majority call for benefits to be uprated by inflation - JRF

• The majority (61%) of the public agrees that benefits should go up in line with inflation, in first polling carried out on the issue.
• New analysis shows that the average working age couple on benefits with two children will lose over £300 per year from their incomes as of next April – when many are already unable to afford essentials.

Polling by YouGov for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation this week found that 61% of the public agreed that benefits should go up in line with inflation, including half (49%) of 2019 Conservative voters. Just one in five (19%) instead believe there should be a rise below inflation, as has been proposed by the Government, with only 7% believing there shouldn’t be a rise at all.

This represents a firm majority on an issue which has only been in the public eye for just over a week, and reflects a longer term trend around views on social security and the need for the system to provide people with enough to live on.   

The suggested increase of 5.4%, in line with earnings, would amount to the biggest permanent real-terms cut to the basic rate of benefits ever made in a single year, according to JRF analysis released last week.

These benefits are those received by people who are too sick and disabled to work, those looking for work and those working but on low earnings, as well as those receiving child benefit.

Only a quarter of the public do not think that benefits should rise with inflation – sending a clear message to the government that there is support to make sure the lowest incomes keep up with prices.

Just 19% said they should go up below inflation and 7% said they shouldn’t go up at all, making 26% who were against an inflation rise. The majority in favour of fully uprating in line with inflation is clear across all regions, age groups and income groups, with 67% of the over 65s in favour.

The poll was of 1695 people across the UK and was carried out during the Conservative Party conference on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week (4/5 October).

At the same time, JRF’s latest analysis of the impact of the proposed real-terms cut shows that the average working age couple with two children receiving benefits will lose over £300 per year from their incomes after housing costs as of next April – at a time when we know many are already struggling to afford the essentials.

Rebecca McDonald, Chief Economist at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said:

“The majority of the public have taken a clear view already, and firmly oppose government suggestions that they are considering the biggest permanent real-terms cut to the basic rate of benefits ever made in a single year. This is all the more decisive when you consider that the issue has only been in the public eye since the government first floated the idea for the real-terms cut less than a fortnight ago.

“The majority in favour of uprating in line with inflation, as promised by then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak earlier in the year, runs across all age groups, income groups and regions. The Prime Minister must surely realise that her refusal to confirm the uplift is completely out of step with public opinion and the times in which we are living.

“Pressing ahead with this move in the face of public opposition would be morally indefensible and would target spending cuts at those on the lowest incomes, many of whom cannot afford the essentials as it is. It would also terrify millions who have already been enduring a cost of living emergency for months.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Full polling results:

1. The poll was of 1695 people across the UK and was carried out online by YouGov during the Conservative Party conference on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week (4/5 October).
2. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 1,695 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 4th and 5th of October 2022.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).