Evaluation of the Cost of Living Payments

This evaluation seeks to understand the impact of the cost of living payments for households who are receiving certain benefits throughout the UK.

About the study

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have asked The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to carry out this study to understand how helpful the Cost of Living Payments have been in supporting households to cope with the current cost of living pressures. 

The research aims to understand:

  • Whether the Cost of Living Payments supported households impacted by cost of living pressures. 
  • Whether the Cost of Living Payments have had a long term impact on the households that received them. 
  • Whether the Cost of Living Payments were communicated well enough to the households that received them. 

As part of the project, a selected group of those who received one or more cost of living payments will be invited to complete a short survey about their experience. People who take part in the first survey and agree to be recontacted will be asked to take part in a follow-up survey. Some people who complete the survey will also be invited to take part in a follow up interview with one of NatCen’s researchers to understand their experiences of receiving the cost of living payments in more depth.  

Who is carrying out the research?

The research is being carried out by NatCen, Britain’s largest independent social research agency. For 50 years, NatCen has been working with charities and government to find out what people really think about the big issues. NatCen will conduct and analyse the survey and write a report for the DWP.

Why have I been selected to take part? 

The government has introduced extra payments to help with the cost of living for households who are receiving certain benefits and/or a state pension throughout the UK.

You have been selected at random from a group of people who have received at least one of these extra payments introduced by the government to help with the cost of living. You were eligible to receive the payment if you:

  • get certain benefits - for example, Universal Credit, Pension Credit, PIP, income-related ESA or Attendance Allowance
  • are over State Pension age and get Winter Fuel Payments

The full eligibility criteria are listed on the Government website - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cost-of-living-payment. 

We would like to hear from you even if you do not recall receiving this payment. 

Why take part? 

Taking part will provide important information on how helpful the Cost of Living Payments have been in supporting households. 

As a thank you for taking part you will also receive a Love2shop voucher. This voucher will be worth £5 for the initial survey. You will also receive an additional £10 voucher if you take part in the second follow up survey. If you are receiving benefits, receiving these vouchers will not affect your benefits now or at any time in the future. 

I was selected to take part in a survey, what will it involve?

Taking part involves completing a short online survey. The survey will ask you questions about your financial situation and your experience of receiving the extra payment. Your answers will provide important information about the experiences of adults in the UK who received a cost of living payment. 

I was asked to take part in a follow up survey, what will it involve?

Only participants who took part in the first survey and agreed to be recontacted will be asked to take part in the second survey. 

This will involve a similar online questionnaire asking you about your financial situation and experiences of the most recent cost of living payment you received.

NatCen may contact you by phone after you have received your letter to see how you are getting on. If you would prefer, you can complete the survey over the phone. Please look out for a phone call (Location: Brentwood; area code: 01277).

You may have a relative, friend or support worker with you while completing the survey. If taking part is difficult for you, it is also possible for that person to participate on your behalf.

Do I have to take part?

No. You can contact NatCen either by phone on 0800 652 4568 or by email at colp@natcen.ac.uk if you would prefer not to be contacted again for this research.

If you are receiving benefits your decision whether to take part will not affect your benefits, either now or at any time in the future. 

Is the study confidential? 

The information you give will be treated as confidential as directed by the Code of Practice for Statistics. Your responses will be anonymised, and the statistics produced will not identify you or anyone in your household. Your responses will be used for research purposes only and will not be combined with information held by the Department of Work and Pensions or any government department/organisations.

For more information on how your data will be used, visit the privacy notice. 

I am an appointee and have received a letter. What should I do? 

If you are an appointee and have received a letter inviting you to take part, we would kindly ask for your assistance to help the person who received the Cost of Living Payment to fill out the survey. If this is not possible, you could also take the survey on their behalf. You can also contact the research team with any questions about the survey or to let us know you would like to opt out from taking part.

Do I have to complete the survey in one go?

The survey should only take between 15 minutes to complete. You can take breaks and complete the survey at your own pace.

If you’re completing the survey online and want to stop at any point, the survey will save automatically. Once you’re ready to continue, enter the same link you used to access the survey then enter the same access code and you will be able to continue.

If you’d prefer to complete the survey by phone and need to take a break, let the interviewer know and they will either arrange a break or call you back later. 

What happens if the survey times out? 

To protect the confidentiality of your answers, the questionnaire will close if left for an extended period of inactivity. Your answers will have been saved so you can log back in by using the link in the letter.

I have completed the questionnaire, but you contacted me again to remind me.

Thank you for taking part! It might be that you completed the questionnaire after we had checked our records. We will have received your answers and you will still receive your voucher.

Contact us

If you have any questions, please contact us on colp@natcen.ac.uk or call us free on 0800 652 4568. If you wish to contact the DWP about this study, email research.colp@DWP.GOV.UK.

Further Support

If you've been affected by issues raised in the survey, here are some helplines, click here.