Public backs benefits to tackle the cost of living, says think tank

Bright Blue, a ‘liberal conservative’ think tank, has today published new polling analysis, entitled Stepping up: public attitudes to addressing the cost of living crisis, which reveals what the UK public thinks about the role of welfare for tackling the cost of living crisis.

Public support for using the benefits system to maintain living standards is very high, and the public believes financially vulnerable groups have become worse off during the pandemic, whereas those on higher incomes have become financially better off. The public is split, however, over whether current support is sufficient for benefit claimants.

The new polling analysis comes a week after the Spring Statement, in which the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, decided not to increase the value of benefits such as Universal Credit in line with rising inflation, which will lead to a real terms decrease in the income of claimants. It is part of Bright Blue’s ongoing project on social security after Covid-19.

Anvar Sarygulov, Senior Research Fellow at Bright Blue, commented: “While inflation is projected to peak at over 8% later this year, benefits are only being increased by 3.1%, despite the rising costs of fuel, food, and childcare. The additional £500 million for the Household Support Fund is a measly sum that does not come close to addressing the gap between rising costs and the falling value of support.

“The Chancellor needs to stop being allergic to welfare, recognise the effectiveness of the Universal Credit system, and bring forward the next uprating of the benefits from April 2023 for a far more substantive, effective, and targeted intervention.”