Social Security experience panels: carer benefits - main report
Outlines the Social Security experience panel's views expressed in a survey to help design carer benefits in Scotland.
Annex A: About the Participants
Information from the survey was added to information from the 'About Your Benefits and You'[6] and 'Social Security Experience Panels: Who is in the panels and their experiences so far'[7] surveys. The demographic data collected in these surveys was linked to the information supplied previously by participants as part of the longitudinal data set for this project.The following demographic information is given to give context to the findings from the survey.
Not all responses were linked in this way. Providing identifying information is optional in all of our surveys. So linking was not possible where there was missing or unclear information from the survey responses. It was also not possible where participants had not previously supplied us with the relevant demographic information. 147 respondents' data were linked to demographic information supplied previously. 219 respondents data were linked to information they had already supplied about the benefits that they have experience of.
Around two thirds of respondents whose data we could link identified as a 'woman or girl' (68 per cent) and a third (31 per cent) of participants identified as a 'man or boy'.
| Gender | % |
|---|---|
| Woman or girl | 68 |
| Man or boy | 31 |
| Identify in another way | 1 |
More than half of respondents whose data we could link were aged between 45-59 ( 54 per cent).
| Age group | % |
|---|---|
| 16-24 | 1 |
| 25-44 | 20 |
| 45-59 | 54 |
| 60-79 | 25 |
Two thirds (67 per cent) of respondents whose data we could link had a disability or long term health condition lasting 3 months or longer. Details of the types of condition are in Table 3 below.
| Disability or long term health condition (n=147) | % |
|---|---|
| A physical disability | 39% |
| Chronic pain lasting at least 3 months | 50% |
| Another long term condition | 48% |
| Deafness or severe hearing impairment | 9% |
| Blindness or severe vision impairment | 7% |
| A learning disability | 7% |
Almost 9 in 10 (86 per cent) respondents whose data we could link had experience of being a carer. A quarter (26 per cent) of these had experience of caring for one or more children who are disabled or have a long term health condition.
| Caring responsibility | % |
|---|---|
| Carer for one or more children who are disabled or have a long term health condition | 26% |
| Carer for one or more adults who are disabled or have a long term health condition | 69% |
| Care for an adult due to older age | 20% |
Of the respondents whose data we could link, almost three quarters (73 per cent) live in urban areas.[8] Respondents took part from 28 of the 32 Local Authority areas.
| Location | % |
|---|---|
| Urban | 73% |
| Rural | 27% |
Almost all (96 per cent) had experience of Carer's Allowance. Seven in ten (70 per cent) respondents whose data we could link had experience of Disability Living Allowance and two thirds (64 per cent) had experience of Personal Independence Payment.
| Benefit experience | % |
|---|---|
| Carer's Allowance | 96% |
| Disability Living Allowance | 70% |
| Personal Independence Payment | 64% |
| Cold Weather Payment | 35% |
| Winter Fuel Payment | 28% |
| Attendance Allowance | 20% |
| Funeral Expense Assistance | 11% |
| Industrial Injuries Disability Benefit | 2% |
More detailed demographic information on the Experience Panels as a whole can be found in 'Social Security Experience Panels: Who is in the panels and their experiences so far'.[9]
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