Half a million people skipped out on free pandemic cash because the application was just too much of a 'hassle' compared to the money.
April 2, 2026
Original Paper
Non-take-up of benefits at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
SocArXiv · 5c4d2_v1
The Takeaway
Despite being legally eligible for Universal Credit in the UK, roughly 500,000 people opted out of the system. 59% of them cited the administrative hassle and the threat of future 'sanctions' (punishments for not meeting job-search criteria) as the primary reason they left the money on the table during a global crisis.
From the abstract
The benefits system has played a major role in Britain’s COVID-19 response. Yet the situation of those who did not claim UC has been given little attention – particularly those who were eligible for UC but did not claim it. In this report, we present the findings of exploratory research into this group, funded by the Health Foundation. We estimate there are around half a million people – our best estimate is 430,000–560,000 people – who were eligible for UC during the start of the COVID-19 pande