Social Security Experience Panels: benefit take-up – visual summary

Finding out about benefits

We asked participants how they had found out about benefits in the past. Participants agreed that there were a number of ways that people find out about benefits.

Participants described a number of ways that they had found information about the benefit system. These included through:

• Internet search engines and government websites
• Online chat forums
• Support from welfare rights groups and specialist charities
• Speaking to people they knew
• Newspapers, television, social media

“I usually head to the government websites to see what is official being said. Then I go to independently run websites to see if they have an opinion.”

“The internet is the primary thing for me. A lot of what I do is running searches and findings random message forums to see what others are saying.”

“I’ve used so many sources of information. Third Sector charities. The Council. The NHS. Community psychiatric nurses, GPs, Health visitors and practice nurses sometimes pass on information too.”

“But information is not always advertised, so you have to find it yourself by word of mouth or just meeting people.”