UK Data Archive Study Number 8689 - Welfare at a (Social) Distance, 2020-2021 CLAIMANT W1 QUESTIONNAIRE Instructions on using this document This document gives the full text of the survey questionnaire, including annotations to explain derived variables / question sources / any errors and how they are corrected for. To use the data, please firstly read the main user guide. Then you are likely to want to refer to this document – please note: 1. The first three questions are from the screening survey; see main user guide for an explanation. 2. We use the following missing value conventions: Missingness type Stata code SPSS code Refused .r -9 Don’t know .d -8 Not asked .n or .b -7 Routing error at q51 .o -6 Other routing errors .p -5 Implausible values .i -4 Missing from YouGov profile data .a -2 Other missing . -1 UK Data Service Note: missing values across all formats are currently set to the numeric codes, as used in SPSS. 3. We use the following variable naming conventions: • Prefix ‘P’: refers to respondent’s partner (e.g. ‘PpreLwork’); • Suffix ‘R’: recoded version of original variable (e.g. ‘workchangeR’). Often this refers to variables where open text responses have been manually coded and used to create a modified version of the variable; • Suffix ‘B’: binary version of more detailed variable (e.g. ‘hhldworkB’). 4. We also use the following abbreviations: • ‘DV’: a derived variable; • ‘RF survey’: the Resolution Foundation’s YouGov survey of the working-age population, which was in the field fractionally before this survey, and which was a source for some of the questions in our survey (to enable comparisons to the wider working-age population). 5. Administrative variables are explained at the end of this document, after the questionnaire. 6. Each entry below is in the following format: YouGov original variable name // final variable name [YouGov routing script] <plain English explanation of routing> Question text. List of response categories Notes on this variable. Screening questions imported // S1 Are you (personally or jointly) currently claiming Universal Credit, Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), or Tax Credits? Yes, and I started claiming in March 2020 or later (since the coronavirus outbreak started in the UK) Yes, and I was already claiming before March 2020 (prior to the coronavirus outbreak in the UK) No, I am not claiming but I have tried to apply since the coronavirus outbreak started in the UK No, I am not claiming and have not tried to apply since the coronavirus outbreak started in the UK Don’t know imported // S2 [New and pre-existing claimants] Which of the following are you currently claiming (personally or jointly)? (Please tick all that apply) Universal Credit Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Tax Credits None of these Changes over early versions of the screening: WHEN INCLUDED: w1->w2: There was an error at screening w1 and this only went to existing claimants (not new claimants). PERSONALLY OR JOINTLY: see note under screening q1. OTHER: w3: For screening w3 we added 'other' and asked them to write in - most people said PIP (others were IS, CA) and were existing claimants. There’s one person who said ‘Other’ and then explained that they’d recently claimed ‘New-style JSA’, who should have chosen option 2 (this was the only new claimant picking 'other') – but my guess is that they would choose option 2 if they’d not had an ‘other’ response available. imported // S3 [If not currently claiming (inc. DK and those who tried to claim)] Which of the following come closest to why you are not currently claiming any of these benefits/tax credits? (Please tick all that apply) <1> My income hasn’t changed during lockdown so I don’t need them <2> My income has gone down, but I am still comfortable financially so I don’t need them <3> My income has gone down, but I am still earning too much to claim them <4> My income has gone down, but I have too much other income/savings to claim them <5> I don't think I'm eligible due to my immigration status <6> I don't think I'm eligible for other reasons <7> I might be eligible, but have struggled to make a claim <8> I might be eligible, but I don't think it will be worth the hassle <9> I might be eligible, but I don't want to be the kind of person who claims benefits <10> I might be eligible, but am not claiming for other reasons[nonclaimopen2]{open} <11> Don’t know Changes over early versions of the screening: CATEGORIES: [w1]: first four categories were only three, worded differently: 1. I don’t need to claim these benefits/tax credits 2. I don’t think I’m eligible because I earn too much 3. I don’t think I’m eligible because my household has other income/savings [w3]: Changed to: 1. My income hasn’t changed during lockdown so I don’t need them 2. My income has gone down, but I am still comfortable financially so I don’t need them 3. My income has gone down, but I am still earning too much to claim them 4. My income has gone down, but I have too much other income/savings to claim them START vs. MAKE A CLAIM: changed from struggling to 'start' to 'make' a claim for screening w3. DON'T KNOWL w3: We experimented with changing 'Don't know' to ‘I don’t know if I’m eligible’ option in screen w3. However, this has taken some responses from the ‘I might be eligible…’ responses (excluding the ‘…I have struggled to make a claim’), particularly ‘…I don't think it will be worth the hassle’ (reduced from 3.3-4.2% to 1.9%) and ‘…I am not claiming for other reasons’ (down from 1.2-1.5% to 0.4%). The number of responses that people gave has also gone down slightly. We therefore reverted back to a simple don't know - though this experiment was useful in clarifying that some people genuinely don’t know why they haven’t claimed. Start of main survey q3_ // benprev Thinking back to earlier this year **before the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak** started in the UK (i.e. the end of February 2020)... Which, if any, of the following benefits/tax credits were you/ your partner receiving? (Please select all that apply) <1> Universal Credit (UC) <2> Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) <3> Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) <4> Income Support <5> Carer's Allowance <6> Working Tax Credit <7> Child Tax Credits <8> Housing Benefit <9> Child Benefit <10> Children's Disability Living Allowance (DLA) <11> Adults' Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or DLA <12> Council Tax Support / Reduction <13> Discretionary Housing Payments from your council <14> Other <15> Emergency grants/help from the council <16> Emergency grants/help from the Scottish Government <17 xor> Don’t know <18 xor> Prefer not to say <19 xor> Not applicable - I/ my partner were not receiving any benefits before the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Taken from the Resolution Foundation COVID-19 survey, but with some small changes: (i) we've taken out EMA; (ii) we've added 'Emergency help from the council' and 'Emergency help from the Scottish Government' (the latter replacing 'Scottish Welfare Fund') (iii) we've added 'Discretionary Housing Payments' (iv) we've separated DLA for children from DLA/PIP for adults, as a crude indicator of presence of a disabled child in the household. (As of Aug 2019 on Stat-Xplore, there were 500k DLA claims for kids, 420k for working-age, 680k for over state pension age). We expect 'other' to include Maternity Allowance, Bereavement benefits, Guardians Allowance, Industrial Injuries, and the State Pension (if partner above state pension age). We deliberately do not include statutory payments that work via employers (SMP/ShPP/SPP, SAP, SSP), nor do we include Free School Meals (or the vouchers that have replaced them while schools are closed). q4_ // benapp And which, if any, of the following benefits or tax credits have you/ your partner applied for **since the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak** started (i.e. since the beginning of March 2020)? (This does NOT include the furlough scheme, other support to employers, or the Self Employed Income Support Scheme) <1> Universal Credit (UC) <2> Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) <3> Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) <4> Income Support <5> Carer's Allowance <6> Working Tax Credit and/or Child Tax Credits <7> Housing Benefit <8> Child Benefit <9> Children's Disability Living Allowance (DLA) <10> Adults' Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or DLA <11> Council Tax Support / Reduction <12> Discretionary Housing Payments from your council <13> Emergency grants/help from the council <14> Emergency grants/help from the Scottish Government <15> Other <16 xor> Don’t know <17 xor> Prefer not to say <18 xor> Not applicable - I/ my partner have not applied for any benefits since the start of March 2020 Again adapted from the Resolution Foundation COVID-19 survey - but we ask for which ones that people have applied for (rather than 'applied for or receiving') and also clarify that furlough doesn't count. ROUTING: Initial allocation of claimants to group // {exit status=screenout if not q4.has_any([1,2,3]) and not q3.has_any([1,2,3,6,7])} <Screened out if they were not new claimants of UC/ESA/JSA and not existing claimants of UC/ESA/JSA/Tax Credits> [At this point in the survey, participants are also allocated to a group: $oldbenefittext [q3single] Existing benefit in priority order: <1> Universal Credit (if q3=1) <2> Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) (if q3=2) <3> Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) (if q3=3) <6>Tax Credits (if q3=6 or 7).