Research and analysis

DWP Customer Experience Survey, Benefit Customers 2024 to 2025

Published 25 September 2025

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

The Customer Experience Survey (CES) is designed to monitor customer satisfaction with the services offered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to inform improvements in service delivery. It is an ongoing cross-sectional study with quarterly interviewing. This research was externally commissioned by DWP with fieldwork independently conducted by Ipsos (previously known as Ipsos MORI).

The data in this report is based on 9,029 interviews conducted with benefit customers who had contact with DWP between April 2024 and March 2025. The survey covers eight benefits: State Pension; Pension Credit; Attendance Allowance; Carer’s Allowance; Disability Living Allowance for Children; Personal Independence Payment; Employment and Support Allowance; and Universal Credit.

This report presents data on overall customer satisfaction and looks at survey data that is mapped to the DWP Customer Experience Drivers. The DWP Customer Experience Drivers provide standards against which customer service delivery can be measured. This report includes data relating to: Get it Right; Make it Easy; Communicate Clearly; and Professional and Supportive.

Our thanks go to all those who gave up their time to take part in this study.

At a glance – Overall customer satisfaction

More than 8 out of 10 customers were satisfied with DWP services overall.

Satisfied: 87%

Dissatisfied: 13%

Abbreviations

Abbreviation	Meaning
AA	Attendance Allowance
CA	Carer’s Allowance
CES	Customer Experience Survey
CSES	Claimant Service and Experience Survey
DLAc	Disability Living Allowance for Children
DWP	Department for Work and Pensions
ESA	Employment and Support Allowance
PC	Pension Credit
PIP	Personal Independence Payment
SP	State Pension
UC	Universal Credit

About the survey

Survey methodology

Sample

CES is a survey of customers who have had recent contact with DWP, rather than all DWP customers. When CES replaced the previous Claimant Service and Experience Survey (CSES) in 2019, the sample design was revised: as the Universal Credit rollout replaced legacy benefits, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support customers were no longer included. CES covers the following eight benefits: State Pension; Pension Credit; Attendance Allowance; Carer’s Allowance; Disability Living Allowance for Children; Personal Independence Payment; Employment and Support Allowance; and Universal Credit.

The sample includes benefit customers who have been in contact with DWP during each three-month quarter^{[footnote 1]} to either: make a new claim, report a change of circumstances, or (for UC and ESA customers) attend a Jobcentre appointment. ‘Contact’ includes any time a customer has phoned, written a letter, emailed, visited a Jobcentre, filled in an online form, or used their UC online journal to get in touch with DWP. Customers are also included in the sample if a DWP colleague has contacted them using any of these methods. For the contact to be identified and the customer included in the overall survey population, it needs to have triggered a change in DWP administrative data during the three-month quarter.

A quota sample design is used to meet minimum interview targets for each benefit group and contact reason, with a random sample of customers drawn from the population to meet these quotas. Weighting is then applied to the data so that findings are representative of the survey population; data is weighted by age, gender, length of claim, contact reason, and benefit type. For UC customers, data is also weighted by UC region.

Fieldwork

When CES replaced the previous CSES, the survey moved to a mixed-mode online and telephone data collection approach. In 2024/25, fieldwork was conducted quarterly. The data in this report is based on 9,029 interviews, conducted with benefit customers who had contact with DWP between April 2024 and March 2025.

Statistical conventions

Percentages in charts may not always add to 100 per cent due to rounding.

The commentary in this report (in the overall satisfaction and customer characteristics sections) focuses on differences that are statistically significant at a 95 per cent confidence level. This means that you would only expect to see the result caused by chance 1 in 20 times.

Results for sub-groups with larger base sizes will be more robust and have a lower margin of error than those for sub-groups with smaller base sizes. Therefore, it is possible to identify relatively small differences as being statistically significant when comparing sub-groups which have larger base sizes. Conversely, small base sizes may prevent a finding of statistical significance, even if a true difference between groups does exist. This issue particularly applies to the customer characteristics section, in which the base sizes for some ethnicities are smaller and thus results should be treated with caution.

Results: Overall satisfaction

More than eight out of ten customers reported being satisfied with the services provided by DWP

In 2024/25, overall customer satisfaction was 87 per cent. ‘Don’t Know’ responses to the overall satisfaction question are excluded from analysis throughout.

Figure 1: Overall percentage of customers who were satisfied or dissatisfied with the services provided by DWP

Response	2024 to 2025 (%)
Satisfied	87%
Dissatisfied	13%

Base: All customers (excluding Don’t Know responses): 8,760.

Overall satisfaction was high across most benefits

In 2024/25, overall satisfaction was high across most benefits, ranging from 77 per cent for ESA to 94 per cent for AA and SP.

Figure 2: Percentage of customers who were satisfied with the services provided by DWP by benefit

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
UC	87%
ESA	77%
PIP	81%
DLAc	87%
AA	94%
CA	91%
SP	94%
PC	90%

Base: All customers (excluding Don’t Know responses). UC (2,490); ESA (1,112); PIP (1,000); DLAc (827); AA (827); CA (813); SP (844); PC (847).

Results by Customer Experience Driver

This section of the report is structured around four Customer Experience Drivers: Get it Right; Make it Easy; Communicate Clearly; and Professional and Supportive. The questions presented below have been selected on the basis that they have the best coverage of survey respondents, as some questions are only asked to particular customer groups.

Get it Right

Questions that relate to the Get it Right Driver are reported below.

More than eight out of ten customers agreed that colleagues did what they said they would

Overall, 83 per cent of customers agreed that colleagues did what they said they would. The results for individual benefits ranged from 79 per cent for ESA to 91 per cent for SP.

Figure 3: Percentage of customers who agreed that colleagues did what they said they would

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	83%
UC	82%
ESA	79%
PIP	83%
DLAc	85%
AA	88%
CA	87%
SP	91%
PC	85%

Base: All New / Change of Circumstances customers who had phone, text message, video call, online, or in-person contact, and all Jobcentre appointment customers whose appointment was not with a work coach (excluding Not Applicable responses). Overall (6,758); UC (1,921); ESA (873); PIP (894); DLAc (597); AA (542); CA (688); SP (526); PC (717).

Eight out of ten customers agreed that DWP colleagues provided them with accurate information

Overall, 80 per cent of customers agreed that DWP colleagues provided them with accurate information. This varied by benefit, ranging from 75 per cent for ESA to 90 per cent for SP.

Figure 4: Percentage of customers who agreed that DWP colleagues provided accurate information

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	80%
UC	79%
ESA	75%
PIP	79%
DLAc	83%
AA	88%
CA	86%
SP	90%
PC	87%

Base: All New / Change of Circumstances customers who had phone, text message, video call, online, or in-person contact, and all Jobcentre appointment customers whose appointment was not with a work coach (excluding Not Applicable responses). Overall (6,830); UC (1,961); ESA (898); PIP (906); DLAc (601); AA (528); CA (676); SP (546); PC (714).

Eight out of ten customers were satisfied with the time it took for DWP to tell them the outcome of their new claim or change of circumstances

Overall, 80 per cent of customers were satisfied with the time it took DWP to tell them the outcome of their new claim / change of circumstances. This varied between benefits, from 70 per cent for ESA to 94 per cent for SP.

Figure 5: Percentage of customers who were satisfied with the time it took DWP to tell them the outcome of their new claim / change of circumstances

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	80%
UC	79%
ESA	70%
PIP	75%
DLAc	76%
AA	90%
CA	86%
SP	94%
PC	82%

Base: All New and Change of Circumstances customers (excluding Not Applicable responses). Overall (7,930); UC (1,633); ESA (1,014); PIP (1,041); DLAc (843); AA (850); CA (836); SP (856); PC (857).

More than nine out of ten customers agreed that DWP made payments when they said they would

Overall, 96 per cent of customers reported that DWP made payments when they said they would. The results were above 90 per cent for all benefits, ranging from 94 per cent for CA to 99 per cent for DLAc and SP.

Figure 6: Percentage of customers who agreed that DWP made payments when they said they would

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	96%
UC	96%
ESA	95%
PIP	96%
DLAc	99%
AA	97%
CA	94%
SP	99%
PC	96%

Base: All customers (excluding Not Applicable responses). Overall (8,919); UC (2,568); ESA (1,122), PIP (1,029), DLAc (838), AA (842), CA (824), SP (848), PC (848).

More than nine out of ten customers agreed that DWP paid them the amount they said they would

Overall, 93 per cent of customers reported that DWP paid them the amount they said they would. The results were above 90 per cent for all benefits, ranging from 92 per cent for UC and ESA to 99 per cent for SP.

Figure 7: Percentage of customers who agreed that DWP paid them the amount they said they would

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	93%
UC	92%
ESA	92%
PIP	94%
DLAc	98%
AA	97%
CA	94%
SP	99%
PC	94%

Base: All customers (excluding Not Applicable responses). Overall (8,884); UC (2,561); ESA (1,119), PIP (1,019), DLAc (834), AA (838), CA (825), SP (847), PC (841).

Around three quarters of customers said they did not experience any problems with their new claim or change of circumstances

Overall, 76 per cent of customers reported that they did not experience any problems with their new benefit claim or change of circumstances. This varied by benefit, ranging from 73 per cent for UC to 93 per cent for SP.

Figure 8: Percentage of customers who did not experience any problems with their new benefit claim or change of circumstances

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	76%
UC	73%
ESA	74%
PIP	74%
DLAc	80%
AA	88%
CA	86%
SP	93%
PC	80%

Base: All New and Change of Circumstances customers. Overall (7,930); UC (1,633); ESA (1,014); PIP (1,041); DLAc (843); AA (850); CA (836); SP (856); PC (857).

Make it Easy

Questions that relate to the Make it Easy Driver are reported below.

Almost nine out of ten customers reported that it was easy to find all the information they needed on GOV.UK

Of those who used GOV.UK to find out about their claim eligibility or whether they needed to report a change of circumstances, 88 per cent reported that it was easy to find all the information they needed. This ranged from 76 per cent for ESA to 96 per cent for DLAc.

Figure 9: Percentage of customers who reported that it was easy to find all the information they needed on the government website

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	88%
UC	87%
ESA	76%
PIP	85%
DLAc	96%
AA	89%
CA	93%
SP	94%
PC	85%

Base: All New and Change of Circumstances customers who used the government website (GOV.UK). Overall (3,419); UC (820); ESA (370); PIP (369); DLAc (262); AA (390); CA (512); SP (459); PC (237).

More than three quarters of New customers and more than eight out of ten Change of Circumstances customers found it easy to make a new claim or report a change of circumstances

Overall, 77 per cent of New customers found the process of making a new claim easy. This varied by benefit, from 56 per cent for PIP to 94 per cent for SP.

For those who reported a change of circumstances, 82 per cent of customers found the process easy. By benefit, this ranged from 65 per cent for ESA to 86 per cent for UC.

Figure 10: Percentage of customers who found the process of making a new claim or reporting a change of circumstances easy

Benefit	New customers 2024 to 2025 (%)	Change of circumstances customers 2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	77%	82%
UC	76%	86%
ESA	67%	65%
PIP	56%	67%
DLAc	61%	73%
AA	68%	78%
CA	92%	84%
SP	94%	80%
PC	83%	78%

Base: All New customers. Overall (3,144); UC (465); ESA (424); PIP (456); DLAc (233); AA (486); CA (404); SP (435); PC (241).

Base: All Change of Circumstances customers. Overall (4,786); UC (1,168); ESA (590); PIP (585); DLAc (610); AA (364); CA (432); SP (421); PC (616).

Almost nine out of ten UC customers reported that their online account was easy to use

UC customers were asked how easy or difficult they found using their UC online account. Overall, 88 per cent reported that it was easy to use.

Figure 11: Percentage of UC customers who found it easy or difficult to use their online account

Response	2024 to 2025 (%)
Easy	88%
Difficult	9%
Do not have access to online account	3%
Don’t know	1%

Base: All UC customers (2,597).
Note: Due to rounding, percentages may not always appear to sum to 100 per cent.

Three quarters of customers reported they were able to get the information they needed the first time they tried

Overall, 75 per cent of customers reported that when they were first in touch with DWP about their new claim or change of circumstances, they were able to get the information they needed the first time they tried. The results for individual benefits ranged from 67 per cent for ESA to 87 per cent for SP and CA.

Figure 12: Percentage of customers who reported being able to get the information they needed the first time they tried

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	75%
UC	74%
ESA	67%
PIP	76%
DLAc	84%
AA	85%
CA	87%
SP	87%
PC	78%

Base: All New and Change of Circumstances customers who had communications by phone, text message, video call, online, or in person. Overall (6,308); UC (1,512); ESA (833); PIP (894); DLAc (608); AA (520); CA (687); SP (601); PC (653).

Two thirds of customers reported that they did not have to contact DWP more than once to explain the same information

Overall, 66 per cent of New and Change of Circumstances customers said they did not have to contact DWP more than once to explain the same information. The results for individual benefits ranged from 59 per cent for ESA to 90 per cent for SP.

Figure 13: Percentage of customers who did not have to contact DWP more than once to explain the same information about their new claim / change of circumstances

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	66%
UC	63%
ESA	59%
PIP	64%
DLAc	74%
AA	80%
CA	75%
SP	90%
PC	63%

Base: All New and Change of Circumstances customers. Overall (7,930); UC (1,633); ESA (1,014); PIP (1,041); DLAc (843); AA (850); CA (836); SP (856); PC (857).

Eight out of ten customers reported that it was easy to use DWP services

Overall, 80 per cent of customers agreed that it was easy to use DWP services. The results for individual benefits ranged from 58 per cent for ESA to 86 per cent for SP.

Figure 14: Percentage of customers who agreed that it was easy to use DWP services

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	80%
UC	82%
ESA	58%
PIP	65%
DLAc	75%
AA	76%
CA	83%
SP	86%
PC	77%

Base: All customers. Overall (9,029); UC (2,597); ESA (1,149); PIP (1,041); DLAc (843); AA (850); CA (836); SP (856); PC (857).

Around three quarters of customers said they found it easy to contact DWP about their claim

Overall, 76 per cent of customers said they found contacting DWP about their benefit claim easy. This varied between benefits, from 55 per cent for ESA to 83 per cent for CA.

Figure 15: Percentage of customers who said that it was easy to contact DWP about their benefit claim

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	76%
UC	78%
ESA	55%
PIP	64%
DLAc	70%
AA	77%
CA	83%
SP	82%
PC	78%

Base: All customers. Overall (9,029); UC (2,597); ESA (1,149); PIP (1,041); DLAc (843); AA (850); CA (836); SP (856); PC (857).

Communicate Clearly

Questions that relate to the Communicate Clearly Driver are reported below.

Around eight out of ten customers agreed that DWP communicated clearly with them

Overall, 81 per cent of customers agreed that DWP communicated clearly with them. Results for individual benefits ranged from 70 per cent for ESA to 91 per cent for SP.

Figure 16: Percentage of customers who agreed that DWP communicated clearly with them

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	81%
UC	81%
ESA	70%
PIP	77%
DLAc	83%
AA	85%
CA	83%
SP	91%
PC	85%

Base: All customers. Overall (9,029); UC (2,597); ESA (1,149); PIP (1,041); DLAc (843); AA (850); CA (836); SP (856); PC (857).

Eight out of ten customers reported they had a good understanding of what would happen next

Overall, 80 per cent of customers said they had a good understanding of what would happen next during the new claims / change of circumstances / Jobcentre appointment process. Results for individual benefits ranged from 68 per cent for ESA to 93 per cent for SP.

Figure 17: Percentage of customers who agreed they had a good understanding of what would happen next

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	80%
UC	79%
ESA	68%
PIP	77%
DLAc	84%
AA	87%
CA	86%
SP	93%
PC	82%

Base: All customers (excluding Not Applicable responses). Overall (8,857); UC (2,562); ESA (1,128); PIP (1,025); DLAc (828); AA (829); CA (828); SP (822); PC (835).

Around three quarters of New customers reported that DWP told them when they should expect a decision on their benefit eligibility

This question was only asked to New customers. Overall, 76 per cent of these customers said that DWP told them when they should expect a decision about their benefit eligibility. This varied by benefit, ranging from 66 per cent for ESA to 85 per cent for DLAc.

Figure 18: Percentage of New customers who reported that DWP told them when they should expect a decision on their benefit eligibility

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	76%
UC	75%
ESA	66%
PIP	77%
DLAc	85%
AA	78%
CA	77%
SP	77%
PC	73%

Base: All New customers. Overall (3,144); UC (465); ESA (424); PIP (456); DLAc (233); AA (486); CA (404); SP (435); PC (241).

More than eight out of ten New customers reported that decisions about their claim were explained clearly

This question was only asked to New customers. Overall, 82 per cent of these customers agreed that decisions about their claim were explained clearly. This ranged from 71 per cent for ESA to 93 per cent for AA.

Figure 19: Percentage of New customers who reported that decisions about their claim were explained clearly

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	82%
UC	78%
ESA	71%
PIP	82%
DLAc	87%
AA	93%
CA	90%
SP	92%
PC	89%

Base: All New customers (excluding Not Applicable responses). Overall (2,863); UC (447); ESA (406); PIP (444); DLAc (225); AA (416); CA (376); SP (320); PC (229).

Professional and Supportive

Questions that relate to the Professional and Supportive Driver are reported below.

Almost eight out of ten customers agreed that colleagues understood their needs

Overall, 78 per cent of customers agreed that DWP colleagues understood their needs. The results for individual benefits ranged from 75 per cent for PIP to 88 per cent for AA, SP, and PC.

Figure 20: Percentage of customers who agreed that colleagues understood their needs

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	78%
UC	77%
ESA	76%
PIP	75%
DLAc	85%
AA	88%
CA	86%
SP	88%
PC	88%

Base: All New / Change of Circumstances customers who had phone, text message, video call, online, or in-person contact, and all Jobcentre appointment customers whose appointment was not with a work coach (excluding Not Applicable responses). Overall (6,845); UC (1,950); ESA (901); PIP (914); DLAc (602); AA (555); CA (674); SP (530); PC (719).

More than seven out of ten customers agreed that DWP tailored services to their personal circumstances

Overall, 72 per cent of New and Change of Circumstances customers agreed that the services they received from DWP were tailored to their specific circumstances. This ranged from 65 per cent for ESA to 84 per cent for SP.

Figure 21: Percentage of customers who agreed that DWP tailored services to their personal circumstances

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	72%
UC	72%
ESA	65%
PIP	66%
DLAc	72%
AA	78%
CA	80%
SP	84%
PC	81%

Base: All New and Change of Circumstances customers (excluding Not Applicable responses). Overall (7,350); UC (1,562); ESA (967); PIP (987); DLAc (765); AA (749); CA (774); SP (727); PC (819).

More than eight out of ten customers agreed that DWP colleagues handled their request professionally

Overall, 85 per cent of customers agreed that their request was handled professionally by DWP colleagues. This varied by benefit, ranging from 82 per cent for ESA to 94 per cent for SP.

Figure 22: Percentage of customers who agreed that their request was handled professionally

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	85%
UC	84%
ESA	82%
PIP	84%
DLAc	89%
AA	91%
CA	90%
SP	94%
PC	91%

Base: All New / Change of Circumstances customers who had phone, text message, video call, online, or in-person contact, and all Jobcentre appointment customers whose appointment was not with a work coach (excluding Not Applicable responses). Overall (7,062); UC (1,972); ESA (907); PIP (928); DLAc (622); AA (570); CA (728); SP (601); PC (734).

More than nine out of ten UC and ESA customers were satisfied with the employment support they received from their DWP work coach

This question was only asked to UC and ESA customers. 91 per cent of UC and ESA customers (combined), whose most recent appointment was to discuss employment support or their claimant commitment, were satisfied with the employment support they received from their DWP work coach. Conversely, 7 per cent of these customers were dissatisfied with this support.

Figure 23: Percentage of UC and ESA customers who were satisfied or dissatisfied with the employment support received from their work coach

Response	2024 to 2025 (%)
Satisfied	91%
Dissatisfied	7%
Don’t know	2%

Base: All UC and ESA customers whose most recent appointment was to discuss employment support or their claimant commitment, excluding Not Applicable responses (365).

Almost eight out of ten UC customers reported that their work coach tailored their claimant commitment to their personal circumstances

This question was only asked to UC customers. Of these, 79 per cent agreed that their work coach tailored their claimant commitment to their personal circumstances, whereas 14 per cent disagreed.

Figure 24: Percentage of UC customers who agreed or disagreed that their work coach tailored their claimant commitment to their personal circumstances

Response	2024 to 2025 (%)
Agree	79%
Disagree	14%
Don’t know	7%

Base: All UC customers excluding Not Applicable responses (2,153).

Customer characteristics

The following section explores overall customer satisfaction by age, gender, ethnicity, and whether customers reported having a long-term health condition. It also looks at customers’ digital propensity. Where DLAc customers are included in analysis, data does not relate to the benefit recipient (the child), but rather to the parent/guardian who completed the survey on their behalf.

Age: Both younger and older customers had higher satisfaction rates than those in the middle age groups

Whilst older customers were the most likely to report being satisfied, those in the youngest age groups also scored highly, with those in the middle age groups least likely to be satisfied. Correspondingly, satisfaction scores for customers aged 16-34 and for those aged 61+ were each statistically significantly higher than scores for customers aged 35-60.

DLAc customers are excluded from the specific age groups, as we do not know the age of the parent/guardian who completed the survey.

Figure 25: Percentage of customers who were satisfied with the services provided by DWP, by age group

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	87%
16 to 24	90%
25 to 34	89%
35 to 44	83%
45 to 54	84%
55 to 60	85%
61 to 65	88%
66 to 74	93%
75+	91%

Base: All customers, excluding Don’t Know responses for overall satisfaction. DLAc customers are included in the overall category but excluded from specific age groups. Overall (8,760); 16-24 (508); 25-34 (818); 35-44 (1,068); 45-54 (1,059); 55-60 (880); 61-65 (936); 66-74 (1,380); 75+ (1,284).

Gender: There was no significant difference in satisfaction between women and men

Men were slightly more likely than women to say that they were satisfied overall with DWP services. However, this difference is not statistically significant.

DLAc customers are excluded from the individual gender groups as we do not know the gender of the parent/guardian who completed the survey on behalf of the benefit recipient.

Figure 26: Percentage of customers who were satisfied with the services provided by DWP, by gender

Gender	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	87%
Female	86%
Male	87%

Base: All customers (excluding Don’t Know responses for overall satisfaction). DLAc customers are included in the overall category but excluded from individual gender groups. Overall (8,760); Female (4,665); Male (3,268).

Ethnicity: Satisfaction rates were similar across ethnicity groups

Although customers from the Asian/Asian British and White groups were slightly more likely to be satisfied than customers from other specified ethnicity groups, none of these differences are statistically significant.

At 79 per cent, satisfaction was lowest for those customers who preferred not to disclose their ethnicity during the survey. However, this was also not a statistically significant difference compared to the satisfaction rate of any specified ethnicity group.

Due to low base sizes, scores for the Mixed/Multiple ethnicities and Other groups should be treated with caution.

Figure 27: Percentage of customers who were satisfied with the services provided by DWP, by ethnicity

Ethnicity	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	87%
Asian/Asian British	87%
White	87%
Black/African/Caribbean/Black British	86%
Mixed/Multiple ethnicities	86%
Other	86%
Prefer not to say	79%

Base: All customers (excluding Don’t Know responses for overall satisfaction). Overall (8,760); Asian/Asian British (371); White (7,529); Black/African/Caribbean/Black British (349); Mixed/Multiple ethnicities (136); Other (152); Prefer not to say (202).

A small number of participants declared they did not know their ethnicity. They were included in the analysis for the Overall group, although they do not appear as a separate group in the chart.

Long-term health conditions: Customers who did not have long-term health condition(s) were more likely to be satisfied than those who did

Customers who did not report having any long-term health conditions were more likely to be satisfied (91 per cent), compared to customers who did have long-term health conditions of any type (84 per cent). This is a statistically significant difference. Amongst customers who reported having long-term health condition(s), those with only physical health condition(s) were most likely to be satisfied (88 per cent), followed by those with only mental health condition(s) (87 per cent). At 80 per cent, satisfaction for customers with both physical and mental health conditions was statistically significantly lower than that for either of the other condition type groups.

A long-term health condition or disability is defined as any physical or mental health condition or illness lasting or expected to last for 12 months or more, as self-reported by customers responding to the survey.

Figure 28: Percentage of customers who were satisfied with the services provided by DWP, by whether they reported a long-term health condition

Health condition	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	87%
No health condition	91%
Physical health condition(s)	88%
Mental health condition(s)	87%
Both physical and mental health conditions	80%
Prefer not to say	82%

Base: All customers (excluding Don’t Know responses for overall satisfaction). Overall (8,760); No health condition (2,707); Physical health condition(s) (2,498); Mental health condition(s) (921); Both physical and mental health conditions (2,263); Prefer not to say (371).

Long-term health condition profile

This section explores the customer composition by long-term health conditions.

Almost six out of ten customers surveyed reported having long-term health condition(s)

Out of a total 59 per cent of customers who reported having long-term health condition(s), 19 per cent only had physical health condition(s), 15 per cent only had mental health condition(s), and 25 per cent had both types of conditions. On the other hand, just over one in three customers reported no long-term health conditions (35 per cent).

Figure 29: Percentage of customers by whether or not they have long-term health condition(s)

Condition	2024 to 2025 (%)
Long-term physical health condition	19%
Long-term mental health condition	15%
Long-term physical and mental health condition	25%
No long-term health conditions	35%
Prefer not to say	6%

Base: All customers (9,029).

Digital propensity

This section explores customers’ digital propensity. Digital propensity refers to how much customers use and engage with digital technologies in their daily lives, and their capability to do so.

More than nine out of ten customers surveyed had internet access

Overall, 95 per cent of customers reported that they had access to the internet, whether at home or elsewhere. However, this varied between customer groups, with PC showing a statistically significantly lower proportion (80 per cent) than any other benefit type. In contrast, DLAc (parents/guardians of recipients) had the highest proportion at 98 per cent.

Figure 30: Percentage of customers who had access to the internet

Benefit	2024 to 2025 (%)
Overall	95%
UC	96%
ESA	89%
PIP	93%
DLAc	98%
AA	86%
CA	96%
SP	96%
PC	80%

Base: All customers. Overall (9,029); UC (2,597); ESA (1,149); PIP (1,041); DLAc (843); AA (850); CA (836); SP (856); PC (857).

More than eight out of ten customers surveyed said they could have accessed government services using the internet, if it was available

Customers were asked if, had it been available, they could have used the internet to access government services. Overall, 67 per cent reported that they could have done so without help. This varied widely between benefits, from 39 per cent for PC to 81 per cent for SP. Additionally, a further 17 per cent of all customers could have accessed these services with help.

Figure 31: Percentage of customers who could have accessed government services using the internet if it was available

Benefit	Yes, without help 2024 to 2025 (%)	Yes, with help 2024 to 2025 (%)	Total
Overall	67%	17%	85%
UC	70%	16%	86%
ESA	47%	31%	79%
PIP	51%	29%	81%
DLAc	76%	13%	89%
AA	48%	28%	76%
CA	71%	13%	85%
SP	81%	10%	91%
PC	39%	26%	65%

Base: All customers. Overall (9,029); UC (2,597); ESA (1,149); PIP (1,041); DLAc (843); AA (850); CA (836); SP (856); PC (857).

Note: Due to rounding, sub-group percentages may not always appear to sum to the total given.

1. For DLAc New customers, the sample was extended to include those who had initial contact to make a new claim over a longer period (five months for quarters one to three, and six months for quarter four). This was to ensure a large enough sample size for robust results. However, the sample still only included customers whose claims actually started (after DWP made a decision) during a three-month quarter. ↩