Plans to reduce disability spending now face a significant political obstacle, the latest British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey suggests. Only 7% of respondents said they supported cuts to disability benefits, while 49% said spending on personal independence payments should be increased, a result that constrains ministers weighing further savings.
The poll interviewed 4,656 people across the UK between August and October 2025. Opposition to reductions is not confined to Labour supporters: among voters who backed the Conservative Party or Reform UK, 40% favoured more spending for claimants unable to work and just 10% supported spending less. Labour voters were more hostile to cuts, with 5% favouring reduced spending and 57% wanting more generous provision.
Robert de Vries, a co‑author of the report and a senior lecturer at the University of Kent, said, "Despite growing political divisions on welfare, support for disability benefits remains remarkably strong." He added, "Very few people favour cuts, disabled people are seen as among the most deserving recipients of support, and proposals to reduce disability benefits appear politically risky across the political spectrum."
The BSA authors caution that public attitudes are sensitive to which conditions are highlighted; visibly disabling impairments attract more sympathy than mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, and opinions can change when the exact groups affected and the scale of harm are specified. The report also notes that while disability spending has risen, overall welfare outlays have been broadly flat, a point that complicates claims of an unsustainable system.
The findings land as two government‑commissioned reviews are due imminently. Ministers launched a review of PIP after last year’s U‑turn on proposed cuts worth £5bn; that review, led by the former welfare minister Sir Stephen Timms, published initial findings in July that argued PIP should be overhauled while remaining financially sustainable. PIP is claimed by nearly 4 million people in England and Wales.
A separate review by the former Labour MP Alan Milburn into support for nearly 1 million young people aged 16‑24 who are not in education, employment or training has fuelled concern that support for younger claimants, including the health element of universal credit, may be reduced. The Conservative Party has launched a wider review aiming to identify £23bn of savings, and Reform UK has said cuts to PIP could save up to £50bn.
The BSA report concludes ministers cannot rely on vague public approval for fiscal trimming of disability support. With sympathy for disabled claimants high across the political spectrum, any policy that specifies who will lose benefits risks turning tepid survey tolerance into political liability when the human consequences are exposed.
