A new YouGov poll, commissioned by the Trussell Trust, has today revealed the true and devastating consequences of the inadequacy of Universal Credit – including the impact on working households and disabled people.
The shortfall is not only forcing people to go without food and heating, but also essential healthcare like dental treatment and over the counter medication. People are also struggling to make essential journeys such as travel to work because they can’t afford the cost of fuel or public transport.
Key findings from the research include:
- Nearly half of working households claiming Universal Credit (49%) ran out of food and didn’t have enough money to buy more in the past month.
- A third of working households receiving the payment (32%) report struggling to heat their homes in the last six months.
- One in five (21%) working families in receipt of Universal Credit have been unable to make essential journeys such as travel to work or the school run because they couldn’t afford the cost of fuel or public transport.
- People claiming Universal Credit are over four times more likely than the wider population who are not claiming any benefits to skip meals to keep up with other essential costs like household bills (40% vs 9%), and over five times more likely to have gone without toiletries like soap or shampoo because they couldn’t afford them (17% vs 3%).
- Disabled households receiving Universal Credit are facing even greater hardship and are nearly twice as likely (41% vs 25%) to have gone without other essentials so they can afford food, compared with non-disabled households.
Nikki, a mum who receives Universal Credit and was supported by her local food bank, said:
“Winter is coming and my bills are only going to go up, but social security payments will stay the same. I just don’t know how they expect people to survive. When you’re having to live on a pittance, it makes you not want to be here. My kids have never gone to bed without meals, but I have so they can eat.”