Social Security experience panels: cold spell and winter fuel payment – report

Findings from research with Social Security experience panels members on the new cold spell heating assistance and winter heating assistance.


Annex A: About the Participants

Information from the survey was added to information from the 'About Your Benefits and You'[5] and 'Social Security Experience Panels: Who is in the panels and their experiences so far'[6] surveys. The demographic data collected in these surveys was linked to the information supplied previously by participants as part of the longitudinal dataset 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. 93 respondents' data were linked to demographic information supplied previously. 105 respondent's data could be linked to location information supplied previously. The 6 people who responded who are not Experience Panels members provided their age bracket and postcode.

Just over half of respondents whose data we could link identified as a 'woman or girl' (52 per cent) and a third (48 per cent) of participants identified as a 'man or boy'.

Table 1: Gender of survey respondents (n=90)
Gender %
Woman or girl 52
Man or boy 48
Identify in another way 0

Almost three in five respondents whose data we could link were aged between 60-79 (58 per cent).

Table 2: Age of survey respondents (n=99)
Age group %
16-24 1
25-44 7
45-59 32
60-79 58
80 or over 2

More than eight in ten (83 per cent) 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.

Table 3: Disability or long term health condition experienced by respondents (n=93)
Disability or long term health condition (n=147) %
Another long term condition 53%
Chronic pain lasting at least 3 months 55%
A physical disability 58%
A mental health condition 34%
Deafness or severe hearing impairment 16%
Blindness or severe vision impairment 7%
A learning disability 11%

More than a third (39 per cent) of respondents whose data we could link had experience of being a carer.

Table 4: Caring responsibility of respondents (n=93)
Caring responsibility %
Carer for one or more children who are disabled or have a long term health condition 11%
Carer for one or more adults who are disabled or have a long term health condition 36%
Care for an adult due to older age 15%

Of the respondents whose data we could link, more than four in five (84 per cent) live in urban areas.[7] Respondents took part from 29 of the 32 Local Authority areas.

Table 5: Location of respondent (n=111)
Location %
Urban 84%
Rural 16%

Almost two thirds (63 per cent) had experience of Personal Independence Payment and more than half (55 per cent) had experience of Disability Living Allowance. More than a third (36 per cent) had experience of Carer's Allowance.

Table 6: Respondents' benefit experience (n=93)
Benefit experience %
Personal Independence Payment 63%
Disability Living Allowance 55%
Carer's Allowance 36%
Cold Weather Payment 46%
Winter Fuel Payment 61%
Attendance Allowance 19%
Severe Disablement Allowance 19%
Funeral Expense Assistance 4%

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'.[8]

Contact

Email: Socialsecurityexperience@gov.scot

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