A new report investigates the stigma of claiming benefits – how widespread it is, what causes it (and in particular the role of the media), and its effects. The report was written by Ben Baumberg from the University at Kent, along with two independent policy experts: Kate Bell and Declan Gaffney, and funded by the benefits advice service Turn2us.
To find out more, you can look at:
- The research team’s blog posts on the report – on perceived fraud in the benefits system and the role of the media.
- Other people writing about the report – in particular the Guardian covered it and featured it on their Datablog.
- Press releases on the report are available from Turn2us and the University of Kent.
- And finally, you can read the report itself! And also the ‘mythbusting’ briefing that goes alongside it. (On Ben’s homepage (www.benbaumberg.com) you’ll also find the appendices).