Social Security Experience Panels - panel members: full report - 2020 update

This report provides demographic information about the Social Security Experience Panels. It also summarises feedback from panel members about their experiences of being a member of the panels and how this could be improved.


Disability and other long-term health conditions

New panel members

Questions on diasbility and long term health conditions were asked to new panel members. 322 people responded in this question.[18]

41 per cent of respondents said they have a physical disability, compared to 43 per cent who said that they suffer from chronic pain, and 55 per cent who said that they had another long term condition. 22 per cent said that they have a mental health condition.

Table 9: New panel members - respondents by disability or long term health condition (n=322)
Number of respondents % respondents
A physical disability 133 41%
Chronic pain lasting at least 3 months 140 43%
Another long-term condition 177 55%
Mental health condition 72 22%
Deafness or severe hearing impairment 22 7%
Blindness or severe vision impairment 16 5%
A learning disability 24 7%

79 per cent of respondents said that they had at least one disability or long term health condition.

We also asked respondents about how their disability or health condition affects them (Table 10).

56 per cent of respondents said that their disability or health condition affects their mobility (for example, walking short distances or climbing stairs). 45 per cent of respondents said that disability or health condition affects their stamina or breathing or fatigue levels. 37 per cent said that their disability or health condition affects their dexterity (for example, lifting or carrying objects, using a keyboard).

Table 10: New panel members – impact of disability or long term health condition (n= 322)
Number of respondents % respondents
Mobility (for example walking short distances or climbing stairs 179 56%
Stamina or breathing or fatigue 144 45%
Dexterity (for example lifting or carrying objects, using a keyboard) 119 37%
Memory 116 36%
Learning or understanding or concentrating 109 34%
Socially or behaviourally (for example associated with Autism, attention deficit disorder or Asperger’s syndrome) 53 16%
Hearing (for example deafness or partial hearing) 32 10%
Vision (for example blindness or partial sight) 30 9%
Another way 15 5%
None of the above 11 3%

All panel members

Across a number of different ‘About You’ surveys we have asked Experience Panel members about disability and long term health conditions.[19] Responses available from 1,529 panel members who answered the question are presented in Table 11.

50 per cent of all respondents have said they have a physical disability. 51 per cent also said that they suffer from chronic pain, compared to 57 per cent who said that they had another long term condition. 33 per cent said that they have a mental health condition.

82 per cent of respondents said that they had at least one disability or long term health condition.

Table 11: All panel members - respondents by disability or long term health condition (n=1,529)
Number of respondents % respondents
A physical disability 765 50%
Chronic pain lasting at least 3 months 779 51%
Another long-term condition 875 57%
Mental health condition 506 33%
Deafness or severe hearing impairment 129 8%
Blindness or severe vision impairment 75 5%
A learning disability 101 7%

Compared to available responses from the 2018 findings, the levels of disability and long term health conditions reported by panel members stayed proportionately similar.

In our ‘About You’ surveys, we have also asked respondents about how their disability or health condition affects them. Responses from 864 panel members are available to be presented in Table 12.

67 per cent of respondents said that their disability or health condition affects their mobility (for example, walking short distances or climbing stairs). 54 per cent of respondents said that their disability or health condition affects their stamina or breathing or fatigue levels. 45 per cent said that their disability or health condition affects their dexterity (for example, lifting or carrying objects, using a keyboard).

Table 12: All panel members – impact of disability or long term health condition (n=864)
Number of respondents % respondents
Mobility (for example walking short distances or climbing stairs 577 67%
Stamina or breathing or fatigue 463 54%
Dexterity (for example lifting or carrying objects, using a keyboard) 389 45%
Memory 363 42%
Learning or understanding or concentrating 310 36%
Socially or behaviourally (for example associated with Autism, attention deficit disorder or Asperger’s syndrome) 126 15%
Hearing (for example deafness or partial hearing) 109 13%
Vision (for example blindness or partial sight) 96 11%
Another way 61 7%
None of the above 29 3%

Compared to available responses from the 2018 findings, the proportions of panel members who said that they were affected in different ways by a disability or health condition stayed broadly similar. Among panel members that we hold information on about disability and health conditions, there was a slight descrease since 2018 in those saying their condition impacted their mobility, and those saying it affects their stamina or breathing or fatigue.

Contact

Email: socialsecurityexperience@gov.scot

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