Evidence and Evaluation Strategy 2025
Published 22 July 2025
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Foreword
I am delighted, as Chief Analyst and Chief Scientific Adviser, to be bringing together the department’s exceptional analytical work clearly, and in one place. For evidence to be at the heart of government it needs to be high-quality and inclusive. A priority aim for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is to be transparent about evidence, making our evidence accessible and openly available. This Evidence and Evaluation strategy supports that aim through openly communicating the evidence we generate, commission and are interested in. Importantly, it also explains the integral value of evidence to delivery in DWP.
I am also enormously proud of the diverse and exceptional analysis that DWP undertakes every day. I see a variety of fantastic work here, from observational studies and approaches to capture lived experience of our customers to large meticulously designed randomised controlled trials set up to test the way we deliver key services. A single, but notable, example is the recognition of our contracted employment support team who received the impact award in the Analysis in Government awards in January 2025.
DWP has also played a pivotal role in innovative, cross-disciplinary contributions to the evidence base. For example, both the Analytical Community and the Human-Centred Design Science team collaborated on behalf of the entire government to produce the Public Design Evidence Review, a deep dive into the case for increased use of design in the public sector. This puts an evidence base of unprecedented strength underneath the way in which government makes decisions. I am confident this strategy will help us build on our strengths and continue to deliver high quality analysis where it is needed most.
Catherine Hutchinson, Chief Analyst and Chief Scientific Adviser, DWP
Introduction
DWP is one of the UK’s largest public service departments and spent nearly £288 billion in Resource Annually Managed Expenditure (AME), which covers benefits paid through the welfare system in 2024 to 2025, including just over £123 billion on people of working age and approximately £164 billion on pensioners. Of total welfare spend, around £70 billion was spent on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions. This financial support was delivered to over 23 million customers in the financial year 2024 to 2025[footnote 1]. Our ambitions are of a corresponding scale to the financial support and services we deliver; DWP aims to drive up opportunity and drive down poverty in every corner of the country. This is key to raising living standards and giving every child the best start in life, and to delivering on the government’s Plan for Change.
We will do this through delivery of our five departmental goals to:
- Enable people to get into work and to get on at work, ensuring employment opportunity for all
- Tackle child poverty and hardship, ensuring financial security for all
- Shape the pensions system to serve the interests of savers and pensioners, ensuring decent, secure retirement incomes for all
- Pursue a just, equal and inclusive society, ensuring independence and control for all disabled people
- Deliver high quality, efficient services, ensuring that people are treated with dignity and respect
Why do we need an Evidence and Evaluation Strategy?
Delivery of our departmental goals is informed by trustworthy and accurate evidence. It is of profound importance that DWP takes a strategic approach to evidence if we are to use our analytical resources to support delivery of our aims effectively and efficiently. We need to be clear about what we know, where our evidence gaps are, and how we will work to fill those evidence gaps within DWP and with others external to DWP.
This is a refreshed strategy, replacing our 2023 Evaluation Strategy. It marks a year since the new government, follows DWP’s 2025 Spending Review settlement, and is a timely articulation of our analytical ambitions and approach as DWP embarks upon delivering a renewed and greater focus on helping more people into good jobs, delivering more personalised services, and helping the millions of people who use our services to build better lives.
This strategy is for the public, for external research communities, and for everyone in DWP. Through showing the relationship between evidence and delivery of our departmental goals, it shows how evidence touches on the work of DWP policy, project delivery, operations, scientists, and analysts. Much of the information presented here was already public; importantly, this strategy brings together previously disparate information into a single place in a clear and accessible way.
How do we use Evidence and Evaluation in DWP?
Evidence permeates all aspects of the work of DWP. For example, it underpins important transformational programmes and policies including Universal Credit and Health Transformation. The measures set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper and the Pathways to Work Green Paper are supported by integrated evidence packs. Evidence is also central to the development of the forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy.
Evidence helps us understand the nature of the challenges we face, to design interventions and to shape our objectives. Evaluation evidence also shows us what has and has not worked and shapes our understanding of what will work in the future. Our Areas of Research Interest (ARI) articulate the specific research needs and evidence gaps we would like address through engagement and collaboration with external researchers.
DWP analysts generate and use evidence to deliver advice and support to policy and operations, making use of varied quantitative and qualitative methods and data to achieve this. Our analysts take varied disciplinary approaches including social and operational research, statistical and economic analysis, modelling and forecasting. We undertake in-house research and analysis as well as commissioning external projects and drawing on evidence from published academic research.
What is the scope and structure of our Evidence and Evaluation Strategy?
This is DWP’s first combined Evidence and Evaluation Strategy document. It builds on our 2023 Evaluation Strategy by explaining the progress we have made since 2023 and what we will do now to build upon those achievements. It also has an expanded scope and refreshed structure relative to our 2023 Evaluation Strategy. The underpinning logic driving our revised approach is that it is important to show what evidence does in DWP, as well as what our evidence is and where the gaps in our knowledge are. To do this, it is essential for us to explain the relationship between our evidence and evaluation and the departmental goals that structure the strategic direction and work of the entirety of DWP, including analysts. This strategy is therefore structured to explain:
- our key aim of furthering evidence transparency and the ways in which we will achieve this
- the importance of evaluation, data, surveys and external engagement, and our strategic aims and activities relating to these
- how our planned research and evaluation activities map to our departmental goals and, through this, how our world-class analysis will support delivery
- an account of how our recently published evidence maps to our departmental goals (see Annex One), making transparent the DWP published evidence base and how we make sense of this in relation to our departmental goals
- our 2025 Areas of Research Interest (ARI) questions which represent an articulation of where our evidence gaps are and where we would like to engage and collaborate with external researchers. These are forthcoming and will be added to Annex Two once published. They will also be set out in relation to our departmental priorities
This strategy is, however, not exhaustive. Given the breadth and diversity of evidence that DWP generates, we focus on aspects of our evidence and evaluation infrastructure that we think are most helpful to external users
In the future, we may update the constituent elements of this strategy – in particular our evaluation strategy or our ARI questions - to different timelines. We do not plan to keep updating our lists of planned research and evaluation and published evidence as a living log, but we do signpost to where further details on our evaluation activities and our published evidence can be found so users can get an up-to-date picture.
DWP welcomes feedback. If you would like to discuss this document, the evidence it communicates, or details of any work you are doing or planning that is potentially relevant to DWP, please contact: evidence.strategyteam@dwp.gov.uk
Transparency
We know the public values transparency[footnote 2],[footnote 3],[footnote 4] and that communicating openly about our evidence supports public trust[footnote 5]. DWP is committed to making sure that we get transparency right and publishing this Evidence and Evaluation Strategy is a key part of that. This strategy sets out our collective evidence priorities, including our evidence base and the key research and evaluation activities we will take forward to support the delivery of our departmental goals and the cross-government strategies and missions.
We also published our 2025 statement of compliance with the principles of the Concordat to Support Research Integrity which explains how we assure and enable research integrity in DWP.
Publishing our research and analysis
Making what we do publicly visible is a key facet of transparency and also has further benefits including, for example:
- promoting public engagement with our research
- knowledge sharing across government
- sharing knowledge to promote scientific understanding
DWP regularly publishes our research and statistics.
Our statistics are published in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics. DWP is also committed to complying with the Government Social Research publication protocol. We are committed to uploading details of all our planned, live and completed evaluations on the Evaluation Registry. Read details of DWP externally-commissioned research projects that are undertaking fieldwork and forthcoming research publications.
Evaluation
Evaluation is a key enabler for delivering our priority outcomes. The Magenta Book has defined evaluation as “a systematic assessment of the design, implementation and outcomes of an intervention. It involves understanding how an intervention is being, or has been, implemented and what effects it has, for whom and why. It identifies what can be improved and estimates its overall impacts and cost-effectiveness.”
DWP evaluates policies and programmes in accordance with the key evaluation methodologies set out in the Magenta Book. DWP analysts have, and continue to, contribute to cross-government work to ensure the Magenta Book is up-to-date and fit for purpose, including the most recent review in 2025.
DWP evaluations need to be robust, proportionate and useful. DWP takes a rigorous approach to quality assurance of analysis, including evaluation, consistent with the Aqua Book, to assure this.
Recognising the conclusion drawn by the National Audit Office (NAO) in their 2021 report that further improvement in evaluation across government was needed, and in support of the Evaluation Task Force (ETF), our 2023 Evaluation Strategy codified four principles for DWP evaluation:
- strong and proportionate evaluation design, following best practice in the field, including the Magenta Book
- expert evaluation resource – evaluation work led and conducted by DWP analysts with a wide range of expertise, supported by a strong capability-building approach, and drawing on external expert advice and resource as needed.
- rigorous quality assurance
- an active approach to knowledge management
These principles direct our continuous improvement and have supported delivery of substantial improvements. Since the publication of our 2023 Evaluation Strategy, we have fostered greater collaborative accountability for high-quality evaluation design across key DWP stakeholders. Alongside this, we have supported greater clarity around what constitutes good evaluation design internally and furthered the capabilities to deliver this. We remain committed to continuous improvement.
Key activities that we have undertaken to deliver improvements since 2023 include:
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our central evaluation team have worked across analytical, policy and programme teams to assess what works well and what can be improved in relation to evaluation. This strategic work has identified the behaviours and processes needed to ensure good evaluation design, to build shared understanding, and further improve the culture around evaluation. Alongside this, they have furthered awareness of the support available to develop and deliver quality evaluations in DWP
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the evidence and evaluation plans within business cases presented to our internal governance board (Investment Committee) now undergo a formal review by the central evaluation team. Briefing is provided to the Chief Analyst to support their preparation for Investment Committee
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all Spending Review bids are reviewed by the central evaluation team, with advice provided to the Chief Analyst to support their role in analytical sign-off
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we have expanded our Theory of Change team, enabling more interventions to develop a robust and collaborative Theory of Change to underpin the intervention itself as well as the evaluation strategy. The team have also started upskilling for DWP colleagues beyond the analytical community in the Theory of Change methodology
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we have expanded the remit of the central evaluation team in scrutinising and peer reviewing trials. Under the new scope, all designed impact evaluations with a counterfactual are subject to the team’s scrutiny and the Chief Analyst’s sign-off
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DWP continues to strengthen links with the ETF in Cabinet Office, supporting effective collaboration and advice on DWP evaluations
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DWP now delivers the ETF’s evaluation training directly to its analysts and has trained over 100 DWP analysts to date. This training aims to upskill HMG analysts in key evaluation methodologies and evaluation management techniques and improve evaluation across government
A key finding from our evaluation strategy work to date, is that design and implementation decisions should fully consider the options and implications for evaluation. To achieve this, it is essential that analysts are engaged and have influence on decisions as early as possible in the design of interventions. This will be a key principle of our ongoing strategic work and programme of continuous improvement.
Data
DWP aims to maximise the analysis of our rich administrative data, through undertaking wide-ranging in-house analyses. Prioritising use of our own datasets has considerable advantages in terms of sample size and granularity, as well as offering value for money. We continue to consider ways of addressing new data challenges. Our availability and use of administrative data is particularly important for some of DWP’s activities in the context of a more localised approach and the subsequent need for more granular data.
DWP also works with other government departments and wider organisations (in particular Administrative Data Research UK) to link data, furthering our analytical potential. One key linkage is with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which has been in place for 20 years and is operationally crucial for the delivery of Universal Credit.
Some of our data linkages are or will soon be available through the Office of National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service including the Longitudinal Education Outcomes dataset and our Registration And Population Interaction Database (RAPID), which provides a longitudinal view of peoples’ employment and benefits journey. A variety of ONS publications report on analysis of that linked data; for example, those relating to out of work benefits.
We also support the HM Treasury (HMT) Shared Outcomes Funded cross-government collaboration, which enables analysis of the interactions between specific health conditions on labour market outcomes. A further collaboration is with the South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust, which is supporting accredited researchers to explore how recipients of mental health care engage with the benefits system.
DWP and HMRC have approved the inclusion of benefits and earnings data in the Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (LLC), and this is being taken forward by LLC and ONS. The LLC is the national Trusted Research Environment (TRE) for data linkage in longitudinal research, led by the Universities of Bristol and Edinburgh. It links participants’ health and socio-economic data and data about the environments, neighbourhoods and dwellings in which participants live.
Our free Employment Data Lab uses DWP employment and benefit data to help organisations that provide employment support to understand the impact of their programmes, and to share these findings publicly[footnote 6].
Surveys
Whilst our administrative data is exceptionally rich it does not meet all our data needs; DWP has an ongoing need for high-quality social surveys. We make use of data from a range of externally organised and funded surveys, but we also fund some key surveys (generally in collaboration with others), including the Family Resources Survey (FRS), the English Longitudinal Survey of Ageing (ELSA) and Understanding Society.
DWP funds the Family Resources Survey and it provides DWP with data to inform the development, monitoring and evaluation of social welfare policy. It underpins our Policy Simulation Model, which is used to assess the impact of potential policies and provides the underlying data for several DWP Official and Accredited Official Statistics reports, including Households Below Average Income (HBAI). UK-level FRS data is available on the Stat-Xplore online tool, the UK Data Service, and via the ONS Secure Research Service.
DWP co-funds the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) which examines health, social, wellbeing and economic circumstances in the English population aged 50 and older. Data from the survey is used to support pensions and later life analysis.
Understanding Society is the largest longitudinal household-panel survey of its kind. It is primarily funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and DWP is one of a number of co-funders. It provides data across a wide range of topics and offers insights into how life in the UK is changing and what stays the same over many years. Analysis of the data from Understanding Society has, for example, informed DWP’s development of parental conflict indicators and underpins our income dynamics publications.
External Engagement
DWP works with external research communities in several ways, aiming to benefit from and support research across and external to government.
The DWP Areas of Research Interest (ARI) set out the things that matter to DWP analysis, seek to raise awareness of our analytical interests, and to catalyse collaboration and engagement with external research communities. Government departments’ ARI are searchable via the cross-government ARI database. Our 2025 ARI questions are being developed and will be added to Annex Two once published.
DWP also organises ARI workshops with UK universities and research institutions to provide opportunities for researchers to highlight projects that speak to our ARI questions and to identify areas of research and analysis that would benefit from co-production with DWP. The workshops also invite conversation on the DWP ARI questions, including the ARI function and content.
The DWP Methods Advisory Group (MAG) is a group of external independent experts with broad-disciplinary expertise who have been appointed by open competition from academia and expert bodies. The MAG acts as the DWP Scientific Advisory Council, supporting the DWP Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) by providing cross-cutting, independent advice.
The MAG ensures DWP considers the latest scientific, technical and analytical approaches when developing and providing evidence to support policy and delivery decisions. The MAG supports and advises DWP’s internal analytical and scientific functions and enhances the department’s existing academic engagement.
How research and evaluation will support delivery of our Departmental Goals
DWP has 5 departmental goals to:
- Enable people to get into work and to get on at work, ensuring employment opportunity for all
- Tackle child poverty and hardship, ensuring financial security for all
- Shape the pensions system to serve the interests of savers and pensioners, ensuring decent, secure retirement incomes for all
- Pursue a just, equal and inclusive society, ensuring independence and control for all disabled people
- Deliver high quality, efficient services, ensuring that people are treated with dignity and respect
In this section, we explain each of our 5 departmental goals and summarise how our key research programmes and evaluations will inform and evidence delivery of those goals. Our published evidence has also been mapped to our departmental goals and can be found in Annex One.
DWP’s analytical programme of work is dynamic. The planned and live research and evaluations listed represent the key projects relevant to our departmental goals at the time of producing this document, not an exhaustive account.
Almost all the research and evaluation activities listed in these tables is led by DWP. We do, however, work closely to align our research and evaluation work with that of other government departments and to collaborate where appropriate (for example, on the Supported Housing Review where DWP are co-leading with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Goal 1: Enable people to get into work and to get on at work, ensuring employment opportunity for all
The UK is the only G7 country to have not returned to its pre-pandemic economic inactivity rate[footnote 7], with 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term sickness[footnote 8]. Addressing these issues to create a labour market with employment opportunity for all is a priority across government, including for DWP, and aligns with the Government’s growth and opportunity missions. Our focus is on supporting individuals to find good jobs, stay employed, advance their careers, and increase their earnings. We also work closely with employers. Providing an effective package of support measures that meets diverse needs is crucial as we aim to increase national employment and reduce disparities in unemployment, inactivity, earnings, and engagement.
The Get Britain Working White Paper and the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper March 2025 outline the detailed steps the Department will take to achieve these aims, along with the supporting evidence underpinning our approach. Our approach includes reforming employment services through the creation of a new Jobs and Careers Service, delivering the Youth Guarantee with the Department of Education, reducing inactivity by working with local areas to develop Work, Health and Skills plans, and devolving powers to support more disabled people and those with health conditions to enter and stay in work. DWP is also committed to reviewing Universal Credit to ensure that it makes work pay and tackles poverty.
In 2025, we are commissioning a 19-month Labour Market Evidence Synthesis and Dissemination contract. The aim of the project is to produce tailored, co-created evidence reviews to support local policy-making in Mayoral Strategic Authorities and Integrated Care Boards and to disseminate them through different channels with an emphasis on useability and relevance. This will provide particular support to policymakers involved in devolved DWP programmes (Youth and Inactivity Trailblazers, Connect-to-Work and WorkWell) and will complement the work of the What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth and the Youth Futures Foundation. While standing on its own merits, the outputs and lessons learned from the project will feed into the DWP’s development of any future labour market What Works Centre (WWC). The commissioned project, and any future WWC, will increase the transparency of evidence use in policymaking and support capability building and evidence and evaluation at the local level.
We are also developing a new approach to the role of employers in supporting better labour market outcomes, including Access to Work reforms. This is further supported by the Sir Charlie Mayfield review which will make clear and concrete recommendations to the Government that focus on what more employers can do to tackle economic inactivity due to ill-health and disability, and what the Government would need to do to further encourage and support people living with ill-health and disabled people in work.
Our efforts to achieve Goal 1 are therefore closely connected to the delivery of our other goals – in particular Goal 4 which pursues a just, equal and inclusive society, ensuring independence and control for all disabled people. Consequently, planned activities may appear under more the one goal.
Goal 1 Current and planned research and evaluation activities
| Title | Aim of research and analysis |
|---|---|
| Jobs and career service test and learn evaluation | Agile project within which tests and trials will assess the feasibility and deliverability of a combined jobs and careers service in the UK. Work will also make a quantifiable assessment of a combined service’s impact and value for money. |
| UC Conditionality Evidence Project | To include impact evaluation of the UC conditionality trials which will test i) changes to delivery channel for work search review meetings, ii) the frequency of work search review meetings along with analysis of how well these interventions work for different groups |
| Additional Work Coach Support | Evaluation of additional work coach support for DWP health journey customers. |
| Universal Credit | Ongoing programme of research and analysis related to Universal Credit. To include the Universal Credit Survey and research into the circumstances of low earning self-employed customers. |
| Get Britain Working Trailblazers Evaluation | Evaluation of local trailblazer systems change and targeted support initiatives for young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) or at risk of becoming NEET and economically inactive people or those at risk of becoming economically inactive. This work will complement locally-led evaluations. |
| Restart | Evaluation of the impact of an intensive employment support programme for the long-term unemployed and other priority groups. |
| WorkWell | Evaluation of integrated, locally designed and delivered work and health support for those with health conditions or disabilities to get into and get on at work. |
| Connect to Work | Evaluation of a voluntary, supported employment programme for disabled people, people with health conditions and those with complex barriers to employment to help them get into and on in work. |
| The Peer Mentoring programme for substance dependency | A process and outcomes evaluation of The Peer Mentoring programme for substance dependency. |
| Local Supported Employment | Evaluation of local authority-led support for adults with learning disabilities, autism or both to move into and remain in employment. |
| Access to Work | Journeys to Access to Work: Qualitative research to understand individual and employer experiences prior to applying for Access to Work. |
| International Comparisons of Disability Benefits and Employment Support Systems | Literature review, exploring approaches to the provision of disability benefits and employment support systems for disabled people in different countries. |
Goal 2: Tackle child poverty and hardship, ensuring financial security for all
Child poverty has risen by 900,000 since 2010, with over 4.5 million children in poverty[footnote 9]. Real wages have stagnated since 2008, and many people are in insecure, low-paying jobs. High inflation and rising costs strain household budgets, affecting health, education, and work.
Against this backdrop, DWP is working with colleagues across government to tackle child poverty. DWP is also working to ensure financial security for all through increasing incomes, supporting employment, encouraging financial resilience and protecting people during crises. Together these efforts support the Government’s economic growth mission.
Key actions against Goal 2 are to: publish a Child Poverty Strategy overseen by the cross-government Child Poverty Taskforce which DWP co-chairs together with the Department for Education (DfE), to review the Child Maintenance Service, to support parental employment, and to support families with complex needs and/or who experience familial conflict. Work on the Child Poverty Strategy is also supported by an independent, external, Analytical Expert Reference Group.
We are also working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) to develop the Long-term Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping strategies.
Goal 2 Current and planned research and evaluation activities
| Title | Aim of research and analysis |
|---|---|
| Child Maintenance | Qualitative behavioural research and surveys with parents using the Child Maintenance Service to explore affordability, payment compliance and wider impacts on separated families (e.g. parental relationships and co-parenting). |
| Child Poverty | Programme of research and analysis to inform the development of the Child Poverty Strategy, including research with parents and carers, working with external partners to undertake research with low-income families and children, and research on the costs of child poverty. Development of a monitoring and evaluation approach for the Child Poverty Strategy, to be published in Autumn. |
| Local Housing Allowance | Research on the impacts of the Local Housing Allowance on households. |
| Universal Credit | Ongoing programme of research and analysis related to Universal Credit. |
Goal 3: Shape the pensions system to serve the interests of savers and pensioners, ensuring decent, secure retirement incomes for all
Over 13 million pensioners were in receipt of State Pension in 2024[footnote 10], this is expected to increase with an ageing population. The ONS projects life-expectancy to increase, but at a slower rate than in previous projections. Expenditure on State Pensions is projected to rise from 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2024 to 2025 to 8% by 2073 to 2074[footnote 11]
Pensioner poverty reduced dramatically in the 2000s, supported by the introduction of Pension Credit. Since 2010 to 1011, pensioner poverty has been relatively stable although increases in recent years has meant poverty has increased by 200,000 – as of 2023 to 2024, around 1.9million (16%) pensioners were in relative poverty after housing costs. Older pensioners, single pensioners, those who are renting and those without any private pension income are more likely to be in poverty.
Since its rollout from 2012, Automatic Enrolment has enabled participation in workplace pensions to increase precipitously. However, there remain gaps in participation among groups such as low-earners, ethnic minorities and those working for micro-employers. Additionally, there has been a fall in pension participation for the self-employed, from 50% in the late 1990s[footnote 12] to less than 20% in 2023[footnote 13].
Adequacy of future pensioner incomes can be measured in a number of ways. The latest evidence shows that 4-in-10 working age people in Great Britain are not on track to meet their target replacement income in retirement (roughly two-thirds of pre-retirement income for an average earner); meanwhile 3-in-4 are set to miss a ‘moderate’ standard of living in retirement (estimated to be around £31,000 a year by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA)). Future private pension incomes for the newly retired are forecast to reduce in the coming decades[footnote 14].
Key actions to achieve this goal include delivery of a Pension Schemes Bill, progressing the Pensions Review to address financial security in retirement for current and future pensioners, and maximising awareness and uptake of Pension Credit.
Goal 3 Current and planned research and evaluation activities
| Title | Aim of research and analysis |
|---|---|
| Planning and Preparing for Later Life | Second wave of a nationally representative survey of adults in Great Britain aged 40 to 75 providing up-to-date evidence on attitudes towards and experiences of planning for work and retirement. |
| Pension Provider Survey | This survey measures costs and charges, investment performance and asset allocation across Defined Contribution trust-based and contract-based workplace pensions schemes. |
| Invitation to Claim: Qualitative Research with Eligible Non-Recipients | Interviews with Housing Benefit claimants identified as potentially eligible for Pension Credit and who received an Invitation to Claim Pension Credit letter in Autumn 2024 to understand the effectiveness of the letter and ascertain typical reasons behind claiming/not claiming. |
| Pension Credit Journeys | Qualitative research with Pension Credit claimants, their supports, and entitled non-recipients to understand the barriers and motivations to making a claim. |
Goal 4: Pursue a just, equal and inclusive society, ensuring independence and control for all disabled people
We want to build a system that is fair and provides vital support for those who need it most, ensuring they are supported to live with dignity and independence, and that everyone who can realise the benefits of work is expected and supported to do so.
To achieve this, we are reforming the benefits system towards being more proactive, more pro-work and sustainable whilst continuing to support millions of disabled people through a significant level of financial support.
However, disabled people and those with health conditions continue to face barriers to employment and independent living. Alongside the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper March 2025 we published evidence packs for each chapter containing underpinning statistics, ad hoc analyses and research. We will be undertaking a continuous programme of further research and analysis to support policy development and delivery in this area.
In addition to the above activities, this goal also includes work to review the earnings element of Carer’s Allowance and to achieve better outcomes from housing support expenditure.
Goal 4 Current and planned research and evaluation activities
| Title | Aim of research and analysis |
|---|---|
| Areas of extra cost | Research to understand the areas of additional cost that disabled people and their families face, covering PIP and Child Disability Living Allowance (Child DLA). |
| Journeys to Access to Work | Qualitative research to understand individual and employer experiences prior to applying for Access to Work to help assess whether scheme is meeting its policy intent to provide support for ‘above reasonable adjustments’. |
| Health Transformation Programme (HTP) | Evaluation of the process, value and impact of the Health Transformation Programme alongside exploratory research. Together these will provide evidence to inform the Programme’s decision-making and support DWP’s wider Health and Disability Strategic outcomes. See Goal 5 for further research and evaluation activities. The Health Transformation Programme has also published an evaluation strategy. |
| Supported Housing Review | Study will which provide an overview of supported housing supply, demand, funding and commissioning across Great Britain, building on the Supported Accommodation Review in 2016. |
Goal 5: Deliver high quality efficient services, ensuring that people are treated with dignity and respect
DWP provides a range of services to over 20 million customers[footnote 15] including to some of the most vulnerable people in society.
As we modernise delivery, our central focus is on building high-quality, more efficient services that remain customer-focused, treat people with dignity and respect, and which are responsive to need. This includes moving those that remain on the six legacy benefits being replaced by Universal Credit, through Move to UC, to ensure that the department replaces out of date services, with a service that optimises the use of technology to engage with people flexibly.
We are also committed to improving the prevention, detection and remediation of Fraud and Error and to delivering value for money for the taxpayer in the design and delivery of our services.
Goal 5 Current and planned research and evaluation activities
| Title | Aim of research and analysis |
|---|---|
| Customer Experience | Quarterly quantitative survey of DWP customers to monitor customer satisfaction with DWP services and inform improvements in service delivery. Also to include the Child Maintenance Service Survey to monitor satisfaction of service users. |
| Customer Perceptions Survey | Quantitative survey to understand public perceptions of DWP and DWP brands. |
| Workplace Transformation Programme | Evaluation of estates relocation and transformation activities to determine impacts on staff satisfaction, sustainability and cost-benefits. |
| Service Modernisation Programme | Evaluation of progress against the 6 strategic outcomes for the Service Modernisation Programme. |
| Health Transformation Programme (HTP) | Evaluation of the process, value and impact of the Health Transformation Programme alongside exploratory research that together will provide evidence to inform the Programme’s decision-making and support the DWPs’ wider Health and Disability strategic outcomes. Also see Goal 4 for further research and evaluation activities. The Health Transformation Programme also has a published an evaluation strategy. |
| Move to Universal Credit (UC) | Test and learn evaluation of the process of the Move to Universal Credit of legacy benefit customers. The strategy for moving the remaining households on legacy benefits to UC was set out in the Department’s Completing the Move to UC policy document. Throughout the programme, the Department has published insight documents and research setting out learning to date, as well as quarterly Official Statistics on Move to UC. Read the data release strategy. |
| Universal Credit | Programme of research and analysis related to Universal Credit. |
Annex 1: Mapping our existing evidence to our departmental goals
In this annex, we group our published evidence by our departmental goals to explain the key DWP evidence that informs delivery of our goals and the cross-government missions. As we develop and deliver our policies and programmes, we draw upon wide-ranging internal and external evidence, as well as evidence that pre-dates that presented in the below tables. This annex should therefore not be read as the totality of the evidence we use.
Some of our published evidence is highly relevant to more than one departmental goal and is duplicated in the tables to reflect this. One key piece of included evidence is the product of cross-government working; the Supported Housing Review (co-led with MHCLG).
Other than the Supported Housing Review, the publications listed were published either as DWP research reports, ad hoc research reports, and management information & ad hoc analyses and were published between 1 Jan 2020 and 21 July 2025.
Where there are repeated publications of management information, the most recent publication year is noted, and the full publications list is linked.
Where we have ad hoc statistics that are central to our evidence base these have also been included. We have not included an exhaustive account of these.
The themes our publications are organised by within the tables have been constructed solely to provide greater coherence and accessibility for the reader.
Our official statistics, our statistical work programme amount to several hundred items between 2020 to 2025 and have therefore not been included in the tables of published evidence in this document.
DWP official statistics are published regularly and contain Official and National Statistics spanning the breadth of DWP’s areas of analytical interest and providing some of our key evidence. The themes our official statistics are grouped by are:
- Children, families and bereavement, including the two-child policy
- Employment support schemes
- Equality information
- Health, disability and care
- Housing and heating
- Income and living standards, including Households below average income
- Pensions and older people
- Spending, fraud, error and debt, including Universal Credit (UC) Deductions
- Work and unemployment
While not included in the below evidence tables, DWP evidence can also be found in:
- our DWP annual reports and accounts – GOV.UK, as part of the cross-government Civil Service People Survey and Civil Service statistics – GOV.UK. Collectively, these provide insight on our staff and departmental spend.
- As part of the government efficiency, transparency, and accountability research and statistics. One example of DWP evidence available from this site is our annual complaint statistics.
DWP Published Evidence (2020 to 2025) relevant to Goal 1
DWP’s published evidence base relevant to Goal 1 has been grouped into 9 overarching themes:
1. Support delivered via Jobcentre Plus
2. Universal Credit including the sub-themes of:
a. Parental employment and childcare
b. Self-employed Universal Credit (UC) customers
c. UC conditionality regimes
3. Disadvantaged groups
4. The Benefit Cap
5. Sanctions
6. Localised and enhanced support including the sub-themes of:
a. support for young people
b. older workers
c. Contracted Employment Programmes
d. Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs)
e. the European Social Fund and other localised support
7. Work, Health and Disability (N.B. some items in this theme are duplicated under Goal 4)
8. Work and Care
9. Employers
1. Support delivered via Jobcentre plus
2. Universal Credit
2a. Universal Credit: Parental employment and Childcare
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Childcare choices for parents working atypical hours |
| 2024 | Universal Credit childcare costs support research |
2b. Universal Credit: Self-employed customers
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Exploratory qualitative research into the early experiences of the Minimum Income Floor (MIF) |
| 2024 | Research with self-employed Universal Credit claimants |
2c. Universal Credit: conditionality regimes
3. Disadvantaged Groups
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2025 | What works to support disadvantaged groups towards employment? |
4. The Benefit Cap
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Lower benefit cap: quantitative analysis of outcomes of capped households |
5. Sanctions
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Variation in the Universal Credit sanction rate between jobcentres |
| 2023 | Sanctioned disengaged claimants, April 2019 to August 2023 |
6. Localised, tailored and enhanced support
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Plan for Jobs Cross-cutting Evaluation Wave 1 and 2 synthesis report |
6a. Support for young people
6b. Older workers
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Private Sector Midlife MOT Pilots qualitative research interim findings |
6c. Contracted Employment Programmes
6d. Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs)
6e. European Social Fund and other localised support
7. Work, Health and Disability
8. Work and Care
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Qualitative research with working people exploring decisions about work and care |
9. Employers
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2025 | DWP Employer Survey 2024 |
| 2023 | Department for Work and Pensions Employer Survey 2022 |
| 2023 | DWP COVID-19 Employer Pulse Survey: Final report |
DWP Published Evidence (2020-2025) relevant to Goal 2
DWP’s published evidence base relevant to Goal 2 has been grouped into 4 overarching themes:
1. Separated parents, including the sub-themes of:
a. Child Maintenance
b. Reducing Parental Conflict
2. Housing
3. Measuring poverty and additional financial support
4. Universal Credit
1a. Child Maintenance
1b. Reducing Parental Conflict
2. Housing
3. Poverty and additional financial support
4. Universal Credit
DWP Published Evidence (2020 to 2025) relevant to Goal 3
DWP’s recently published evidence base relevant to Goal 3 has been grouped into 5 overarching themes:
1. The State Pension
2. Private pensions
3. Retirement planning, adequacy and decision-making
4. Workplace pensions, auto-enrolment and employers
5. Pension Credit, Winter Fuel Payment, and Pensioner Cost of Living Payment
1. The State Pension
2. Private pensions
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2025 | The Pension Provider Survey 2024 to 2025 |
| 2024 | Lessons on pensions engagement |
3. Retirement planning, adequacy and decision-making
4. Workplace pensions, auto-enrolment and employers
5. Pension Credit, Winter Fuel Payments, and Pensioner Cost of Living Payment
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Pension Credit ‘Invitation to Claim’ Trial |
| 2022 | Pensioner Cost of Living Payment 2022 to 2023 management information |
DWP Published Evidence (2020 to 2025) relevant to Goal 4
DWP’s recently published evidence base relevant to Goal 4 has been grouped into 4 sections:
1. Disability benefit caseload, expenditure and administrative exercises
a. Personal Independence Payment
b. Universal Credit, health and ESA
2. Customer experience of applying and receiving disability benefit:
a. Cross-cutting
b. Personal Independence Payment
3. Carer’s Allowance
4. Supported Housing
1. Disability benefit caseload, expenditure and administrative exercises
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Health and Disability benefits based on data from 2019 to 2022 |
1a. Personal Independence Payment
1b. Universal Credit, health and Employment Support Allowance
2a. Cross-cutting
2b. Personal Independence Payment |
3. Carer’s Allowance
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Experience of claiming and receiving Carer’s Allowance |
4. Supported Housing Review
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Supported Housing Review |
DWP’s recently published evidence base relevant to Goal 5 has been grouped into 6 overarching themes:
1. Customer experience and perceptions including the sub-themes of:
a. Customer experience and perceptions across benefit lines
b. Child Maintenance Service customer experiences
2. Complaints including the sub-themes of:
a. Complaints across service lines
b. Complaints of Move to Universal Credit customers
3. Modern, effective services including the sub-theme of:
a. Modern services and the delivery of disability benefits (N.B other publications related to the delivery of disability benefits are also listed under Goal 4)
4. Fraud, error and debt
5. Universal Credit
6. Move to Universal Credit
1a. Customer experiences and perceptions across benefit lines
1b. Child Maintenance Service customer experiences
2a. Complaints across service lines
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2024 | DWP complaints management information: Data from April 2021 to December 2023 |
2b. Complaints for Move to Universal Credit customers
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Move to Universal Credit complaint statistics |
3. Modern, effective services
3a. Modern services and the delivery of disability benefits
4. Fraud, error and debt
5. Universal Credit
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Not Started and Unfinished Claims to Universal Credit (UC Hesitancy Research) |
| 2023 | Qualitative research with Universal Credit telephone claimants |
6. Move to Universal Credit
Annex 2: 2025 Areas of Research Interest (ARI) questions
Our 2025 ARI questions will be added to this annex once published.
We’ve published our 2023 ARI questions on GOV.UK and via the ARI database.
We welcome feedback about our ARI. Please contact: evidence.strategyteam@dwp.gov.uk
-
A UK-wide public dialogue exploring what the public perceive as ‘public good’ use of data for research and statistics – Office for Statistics Regulation ↩
-
OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions – 2024 Results OECD ↩
-
INAC01 SA: Economic inactivity by reason (seasonally adjusted) – Office for National Statistics ↩
-
Households below average income (HBAI) statistics – GOV.UK ↩
-
Fiscal risks and sustainability – July 2025 – Office for Budget Responsibility ↩
-
Retirement saving of the self-employed – Institute for Fiscal Studies ↩
-
Family Resources Survey: financial year 2023 to 2024 – GOV.UK ↩