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'.

Table 1: Gender of survey respondents (n=147)
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).

Table 2: Age of survey respondents (n=147)
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.

Table 3: Disability or long term health condition experienced by respondents (n=147)
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.

Table 4: Caring responsibility of respondents (n=147)
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.

Table 5: Location of respondent (n=138)
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.

Table 6: Respondents' benefit experience (n=219)
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]

Contact

Email: Socialsecurityexperience@gov.scot

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