A major British Social Attitudes survey has found that public support for welfare spending overall has fallen to close to its lowest level since the question was first introduced nearly 30 years ago. Despite this decline, the study found little appetite for cutting benefits paid to disabled people who cannot work, suggesting that any government attempting to reduce disability benefit spending to save money would face significant political risk across the political spectrum.

The survey found only 7% of people believe disability benefit spending should be cut, while 49% want it increased, even if that meant higher taxes; this pattern held even among Conservative (7%) and Reform (11%) voters, in contrast to far greater support for reducing unemployment benefit spending. Researchers said opposition to welfare spending is driven mainly by attitudes towards unemployment and single-parent benefits, with disability support remaining comparatively "insulated". The findings, gathered in autumn 2025, come ahead of a government-commissioned review of the disability benefits system led by Sir Stephen Timms, due later this autumn, and amid figures showing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims in England and Wales have topped four million, with spending projected to rise from £27.3 billion in 2024/25 to £41.5 billion by 2030/31.