𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Nearly half the population believes the Government ought to increase spending on disabled people – suggesting any proposals to reduce benefits for this demographic could prove “politically risky”, according to major new polling data. An even greater share of the public backs financial assistance for disabled individuals to perform daily activities such as cooking and washing.

However, support for increasing welfare spending across the board remains at a historically low ebb. The findings emerge ahead of a Government-commissioned examination of the disability benefits system scheduled for publication later this autumn.

The review, headed by work and pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms, was unveiled last year following a Labour backbench revolt over plans under Sir Keir Starmer to restrict eligibility for personal independence payment (PIP), which is distributed to qualifying individuals by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). PIP represents the primary disability payment in England and aims to assist with daily tasks and additional living expenses for those with long-term physical or mental health conditions or disabilities.

Some 49% of adults across Britain believe the Government should allocate more resources to disabled people, according to the most recent data from the long-running British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey, which has tracked public sentiment on various issues since 1983. This represents a year-on-year increase from 44%.

A mere 7% of those surveyed believed spending on this group should be reduced, falling from 11% previously. The poll was conducted in autumn 2025 and has been released as part of fresh analysis by the National Centre for Social Research examining public attitudes towards welfare and social security.

When questioned about particular activities for which people ought to receive greater financial support, the overwhelming majority of respondents were in favour, with 83% backing additional funds for cooking, 80% for budgeting and 78% for washing. Just 3% of respondents chose the option “nobody should get any additional money” for all three tasks.

The researchers acknowledged that the survey’s timing, coming shortly after the Government’s unsuccessful bid to introduce PIP reforms, meant it was “possible that people were particularly supportive of disability benefits at the time”. The report revealed that 57% of Labour voters supported increased spending on benefits for disabled people unable to work, with just 5% favouring cuts.

The report further highlighted that “even a Conservative or Reform Government would face very weak support for spending less on benefits for disabled people who cannot work” (7% and 11% respectively). The authors stated: “Any attempted cuts to PIP would also be made in the context of widespread, cross-party support for extra-cost benefits for disabled people with impairments that affect their daily living.”

The researchers warned that public perceptions of disability benefits “crucially depend on which disabled people are in the public’s mind”, citing earlier research which suggested “some types of disabled people are seen as ‘deserving’ by the public”.

Preliminary results from the survey, released in February this year, revealed that net support for Government spending increases across all welfare categories stood at minus 15 percentage points, approaching the record low of minus 16 points recorded in 2009. Net support represents the gap between respondents favouring increased spending (27% in 2025) and those against (42%).

Dr Robert de Vries, senior lecturer in quantitative sociology at the University of Kent and BSA co-author, said: “Despite growing political divisions on welfare, support for disability benefits remains remarkably strong. Very few people favour cuts, disabled people are seen as among the most deserving recipients of support, and proposals to reduce disability benefits appear politically risky across the political spectrum.”

Separate statistics released by the Department for Work and Pensions in June demonstrated that claimants of personal independence payments in England and Wales had exceeded four million for the first time, approximately doubling since 2019. PIP expenditure totalled £16.3 billion in 2019/20, when adjusted for inflation to current prices, and had climbed to £27.3 billion by 2024/25.

Expenditure is currently projected to climb to £41.5 billion by 2030/31. The interim report from the Timms review – released in July – concluded that the system, as it was designed in 2013, is “no longer fit for purpose”.

Sir Stephen stated at the time that the benefits system requires “fundamental change”, stressing it must be made “financially sustainable”. When pressed on whether his team’s final report might recommend reducing the number of claimants, he said people would have to “wait and see” what conclusions were reached.

He cautioned that the “vital support” PIP provides to help cover the additional costs of living with a disability could be jeopardised should expenditure continue to spiral. James Taylor, from disability equality charity Scope, said the latest BSA survey “sends a clear message: the public do not support balancing the books on the backs of disabled people”.

He added: “Ministers must truly listen to disabled people before making any changes to disability benefits and build a system around their lives.”

A Government spokesperson commented: “We inherited a system of rising costs and poor outcomes for too many people, which we are rectifying by extending award review periods, increasing face-to-face assessments, and helping sick or disabled people into jobs backed by £3.5 billion by the end of the Parliament. The final recommendations from the Timms and Milburn Reviews due this autumn will lay the foundation for sustainable long-term reform.”