Majority of Scots unhappy with UK benefits system

Three out of five Scots think the UK benefits system is either “poor” or “very poor”, a survey for the Scottish Government has found.

The figure increased to 68% for those claiming the controversial Universal Credit – which brings a number of different benefits payments together but can see people wait for six weeks or more before they receive the cash.

The figures were revealed in a survey of more than 1,100 people who are part of the social security experience panels set up by the Scottish Government as ministers in Edinburgh prepare to take on new responsibilities over benefits.

When asked to rank their overall experience of the system on a scale ranging from “very good” to “very poor”, 29% of people gave it the lowest rating while a further 31% described it as “poor”.

Less than a fifth (18%) said their experience had been positive, with 12% ranking the system as “good” while 6% described it as “very good”. The remaining 22% of those who were surveyed described the system as “average”.

For Universal Credit, 68% of the 212 people with experience of it said the system was “poor” or “very poor”.