Minimum Income Guarantee: Experts by Experience Panel report

Member experiences of financial insecurity

Members initially signed up to the panel by responding to an email inviting them to register their interest if they had experience of living with insecure incomes and financial uncertainty. The Sortition Foundation then completed follow up interviews with potential members to explore their experiences of financial insecurity in more detail. The following information summarises the information gathered at that stage.

Overall, the panel represents a wide range of experiences related to financial insecurity in Scotland. Members reflected on the situations that were related to these experiences, including: working insecure jobs; experiencing health conditions; having caring responsibilities; being behind on bills or in arrears and experiences of struggling to afford household essentials. From the additional information provided by panel members during the interviews, it is clear that there is a diverse range of experiences and financial situations among the individuals mentioned. Many of them have health conditions or disabilities that have affected their ability to work and manage their finances. Some have experienced financial hardship due to being a single parent, going through a divorce or separation, or having a partner, child, or dependent with health issues or disability. Some individuals have also experienced abuse or trauma in their lives, which has affected their mental health and financial situation.

Some members have experience of receiving welfare benefits. Self-employment has been a struggle for some, while others have had difficulty finding stable employment. The issue of debt is prevalent, with some having to pay off debts for several years and others having unmanageable debt or borrowing.

Housing is also a significant concern, with some unable to afford their own homes or having to live in unpleasant conditions.

Members were also recruited to include individuals from family groups known to be at higher risk of poverty. Of the six family priority groups, the panel includes those from households with a child under 1, with three or more children, with a disabled child or adult and single parent households. However, despite multiple recruitment strategies, the panel was unable to recruit younger parents (those under 25) in the original recruitment.