Social security experience panels: cold spell and winter fuel payment - visual summary

Findings from research with Social Security experience panels members on the new cold spell heating assistance and winter heating assistance.

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About the research

This report gives the findings of people’s experience of Winter Fuel Payment and Cold Weather Payment. It also gives information about what people think could be improved for the new benefits in Scotland. 

358 Invites

126 Survey responses

The research took place in Feb to Mar 2020

The research explored:

  • Experiences of Cold Weather Payment and Winter Fuel Payment in the current system
  • Experiences of accessing information and support to heat your home
  • How these benefits could be improved

Participants were aged between

16 – 80+ years old

48% Man or boy

52% Woman or girl

84% lived in an urban location

16% lived in a rural location

Respondents took part from 29 local authority areas

Most survey respondents had a disability or long term health condition (83 per cent), including:

  • chronic pain
  • severe hearing impairments
  • severe visual impairments
  • other kinds of long term health conditions

Almost two in five (39 per cent) of survey respondents were:

  • a carer due to old age,
  • a carer to a child, or
  • a carer to an adult.

Contact

Email: Socialsecurityexperience@gov.scot

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