More or Less: Behind the Stats Why are more people claiming disability benefits?
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Mar 19, 2025 
Lizzy McNeill, a reporter specializing in data analysis for news stories, joins the discussion to unravel the sharp increase in disability benefit claims in the UK, particularly post-pandemic. She highlights the impact of mental health issues and the cost of living crisis on this trend. The conversation also tackles controversial comparisons between the UK's and Russia's handling of free speech, emphasizing the need for accurate data. Additionally, they explore the deterioration of important statistical sources which complicate understanding societal trends.
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Rising Benefit Costs
- Working-age health-related benefit costs rose sharply, increasing by a third in four years, adjusted for inflation.
- This rise is primarily due to a significant increase in claimants for both disability and incapacity benefits.
Reasons for Claims
- The increase in disability benefit claims is largely attributed to mental and behavioral problems, accounting for over half of the rise.
- Physical health issues contribute to the remaining increase, and data limitations hinder analysis of incapacity benefit claims.
UK Phenomenon
- The cost of living crisis and COVID-19 are unlikely to be the sole drivers of increased benefit claims.
- This is because the UK's increase far surpasses that of other comparable countries facing similar challenges.