Attitudes To State Benefits Soften

[campervanman]

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/09/09/unemployed-benefits-sympathetic_n_3894144.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

The British Social Attitudes Report - now in its 30th year - found people in the UK had more sympathy for those out of work in 2012 than they did in 2011, while an increased number believed the Government should cut less and spend more on benefits.

According to the report, 51% of Britons in 2012 believed benefits for unemployed people were "too high and discourage work", compared to 62% in 2011

In the five years prior to the financial crisis and subsequent recession around two-thirds of people felt that the unemployed could find a job if they really wanted one.

This fell from 68% in 2008 to 55% in 2009, and stood at 54% in 2012.

In 1987, 55% supported more spending on benefits. Despite the recent increase this is now 34%, while 81% of the public now believe that large numbers of people falsely claim benefits compared with 67% in 1987.

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[iamnumerate]

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/09/09/unemployed-benefits-sympathetic_n_3894144.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

The British Social Attitudes Report - now in its 30th year - found people in the UK had more sympathy for those out of work in 2012 than they did in 2011, while an increased number believed the Government should cut less and spend more on benefits.

According to the report, 51% of Britons in 2012 believed benefits for unemployed people were "too high and discourage work", compared to 62% in 2011

In the five years prior to the financial crisis and subsequent recession around two-thirds of people felt that the unemployed could find a job if they really wanted one.

This fell from 68% in 2008 to 55% in 2009, and stood at 54% in 2012.

In 1987, 55% supported more spending on benefits. Despite the recent increase this is now 34%, while 81% of the public now believe that large numbers of people falsely claim benefits compared with 67% in 1987.

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The benefit cap means that the maximum amount people can claim is less - therefore it is not surprising that less people believe benefits are too high.

If the max amount was £30 p.w. including rent then almost no one would believe that it is too high.

[Frank Hovis]

The question is too general.

If the question was "Do you think that Jobseekers' Allowance of £70 per week is too high?" then few would agree that it is; I think it's too low.

The vast amount of housing benefit paid out is the greatest problem. It is too high (so supports stupidly high rents, particularly in London) and too widely given. I am glad that the initial steps to reduce this have begun to be taken.

[little fish]

Attitudes may have softened as a result of more people claiming benefits, HB to be specific.

http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/care/more-than-40500-new-housing-benefit-claims-in-a-year/6528149.article

Statistics published by the Department for Work and Pensions today revealed that the number of people claiming housing benefit as of May 2013 was 5,072,264.

The number claiming the benefit in April was 5,062,172, meaning there were 10,092 new claimants over the period of a month.

Year on year, housing benefit claims rose by 40,526, as in May 2012 the number of people claiming was 5,031,738.

Perhaps people have had enough of the blaming culture we live in where rich people pay other rich people to tell the middle class people to blame the poor people.

HB is too high but £70 odd for JSA is far too low. If people were asked that question directly I'm fairly sure that most would agree.

[Dorkins]

Benefits for being unemployed are too low, benefits for having a few children and working 16 hours a week are too high.

[byron78]

The question is too general.

If the question was "Do you think that Jobseekers' Allowance of £70 per week is too high?" then few would agree that it is; I think it's too low.

The vast amount of housing benefit paid out is the greatest problem. It is too high (so supports stupidly high rents, particularly in London) and too widely given. I am glad that the initial steps to reduce this have begun to be taken.

This.

Can also be widened to the questions:

"Why are so many reliant on housing benefit to pay their rent?"

"How can we reduce HB (and consequently rents) without hurting people whose only real crime is needing somewhere to live during a time of greedy private landlords and a greedy private sector dishing out zero hour contracts like chicken feed?"