Annual survey finds ‘dramatic softening in attitudes’ even before Covid pandemic
Public support for more generous welfare benefits is at its highest level for more than two decades, amid new evidence that societal views on social security and immigration are becoming significantly more liberal, according to the latest annual barometer of British social attitudes.
The findings, which come as pressure rises on the government to retain the £20-a-week Covid-19 top-up of universal credit, indicate that seemingly entrenched popular views on benefits – that they create welfare dependency and encourage “shirking and skiving” – are melting away.
