How many benefit cheats are there? Here’s the real fraud

‘Google recent news of “benefit fraud” and you can easily wonder if the system is out of control. Scarcely a day goes past without another lurid tale. The miscreants are shamed, our outrage finds a target. And while these stories are exceptional, they are readily mistaken for the norm; mistrust for the system grows and those supported by it fall under suspicion. In this way, we foster the sort of blame culture that leads to prejudice and abuse.

As recent research by the Who Benefits? campaign has revealed, 15% of those receiving benefits say they have experienced verbal abuse as a result, while 4% report having been physically abused – this amounts to almost 800,000 and 200,000 people respectively. A further 16% say they’ve had difficulty renting a home, while 18% say they’ve been treated less favourably by a potential employer.

What all this amounts to is that people are being treated as second-class citizens simply for needing a little support to make ends meet.’

Read more: How many benefit cheats are there? Here’s the real fraud