Universal Credit Survey Speaks of Hardship Particularly For New Claimants

UNIVERSAL CREDIT - National poverty charity Turn2us has surveyed 2,014 working age adults around the UK to better understand their financial situation and concerns. The research shows how:

An additional 3.46 million are expected to make a claim for Universal Credit as 15% of working age adults are going to rely on the welfare state through this pandemic

• The average UK worker is expecting £278 per month less income than they would normally receive
• One in eight people are struggling to afford food and basic bills while one in twelve can’t afford cleaning supplies

Here’s  a summary of the themes that came through from the survey:

Universal Credit

• 15% of respondents planned to make a new Universal Credit claim as a result of coronavirus, while among 18-24 year olds, that figure jumped to 28% of respondents

• This equals around 3.46 million new UC claims as a result of the coronavirus

Financial concerns

• Around one in every eight people (13%) still cannot afford food, heating or electricity
• One in eleven (9%) cannot afford essential toiletries
• One in twelve (8%) cannot afford cleaning supplies
• The average UK working age adult will receive 22% less in income this month compared to last month; this equates to £278

Zero-hour contract workers

• People on zero-hour contracts are expecting to see a £193 drop in income per month
• To put this into perspective, a person on a zero hour contract is now expected to live on around £614 per month.
• People on zero hours contracts are being hit the hardest by coronavirus, with more than three out of four people (78%) having seen a drop in income or change to employment; one in four of whom are not receiving any pay because their work has closed 

Self-employed workers

• Self-employed workers are expecting to see the largest drop-in take-home income each month – this works out as £386
• Self-employed workers are the second most affected group, with more than half (57%) already having had their employment affected (income and/or hours reduced) as a result of the coronavirus

Employees

• Employed workers are expecting to see a drop in income of £219 per month
• More than one in two (53%) employed people have reported changes to income or employment status
• Based on anticipated future earnings, in the long-term, people working in retail, hospitality, creative arts and leisure and tourism are the worst affected by the pandemic

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