Technical report: Universal Credit telephone claims

Question 1

Technical report

Accepted Answer

This report provides the technical and methodological details for qualitative research commissioned by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to understand the group of Universal Credit (UC) claimants who applied for UC via telephone. The report covers the design of the qualitative research, including sampling, recruitment and fieldwork materials (copies of these materials are appended).

Research aims

The main aim of the research was to understand why some UC claimants apply or manage their claim via telephone, and their experience of doing so. In particular, the research aimed to understand:

1. the range of characteristics and circumstances of those who claim UC by phone

2. the reasons why some people choose to claim UC by phone

3. how they are made aware of the option to claim by phone

4. how effective a phone claim is in engaging a claimant

5. how these claims are maintained over the longer term, including what the advantages and disadvantages are for claimants of a telephone-only claim

6. what claimants’ support needs are to transition to claiming online

Ipsos conducted 30 qualitative interviews with claimants that had made their claim for UC via telephone or manage their claim via telephone.

Sampling

The sample was provided by DWP and drawn from a list of UC claimants from the past three years who had either applied by telephone or applied online but now manage their claim via telephone. This sample included people who are undergoing the managed migration (Move to UC) process, as well as people who had chosen to claim UC and people who had been asked to move to UC because of a change in their circumstances. However, Ipsos were not able to identify from the sample information which of these three groups a claimant belonged to, so this was clarified with potential participants during the screening process (see recruitment screener below).

DWP provided a sample of 500 UC claimants. The sample included 400 claimants identified as telephone only claimants and 100 identified as moving from online to telephone. The sample included the following information about claimants: name, address, phone number, age band, sex and claim length.

Recruitment quotas

The Ipsos research team set quotas during recruitment to ensure they spoke to claimants with a range of characteristics and circumstances, including groups of interest for the research. The table on the next page shows the quotas that were set for recruitment.

Quota	Subgroup	Minimum number	Actual number achieved
Time claiming UC	Less than 1 year	Min 10	16
Time claiming UC	More than 1 year but less than 2 years	Min 6	7
Time claiming UC	More than 2 years	Min 6	7
Trigger for UC claim	Voluntary claim	Min 6	18
Trigger for UC claim	Change of circumstances	Min 6	8
Trigger for UC claim	Managed migration	Min 4	4
Previous benefit type	Child tax credits	Mix and monitor	2
Previous benefit type	Employment Support Allowance	Mix and monitor	6
Previous benefit type	Housing Benefit	Mix and monitor	9
Previous benefit type	Working Tax Credit	Mix and monitor	4
Previous benefit type	Jobseekers Allowance	Mix and monitor	6
Previous benefit type	Income Support	Mix and monitor	2
Previous benefit type	Not previously claimed benefits	Min 6	9
Has previously claimed UC before this claim	Yes	Min 4	2
Has previously claimed UC before this claim	No	–	28
Whether an online element to their claim	Telephone only	Min 10	24
Whether an online element to their claim	Mix of telephone and online	Min 10	6
Age	18-24	Mix and monitor	0
Age	25-34	Mix and monitor	4
Age	35-44	Mix and monitor	6
Age	45-54	Mix and monitor	10
Age	55+	Mix and monitor	11
Consider themselves to have a disability or long-term health condition	Yes	Min 6	24
Consider themselves to have a disability or long-term health condition	No	–	6

Quotas were regulated throughout fieldwork and weekly updates shared with DWP. Ipsos also had discussions with DWP if they were unsure they would meet the targets.

It was not possible to fulfil the quota for ‘mix of telephone and online’. Despite claimants being marked in the sample as having made an online application, when claimants were screened, it became apparent that they had actually made the claim at the job centre or family or friends had completed the online form on their behalf while the claimant was present.

Recruitment

All claimants in the sample were sent an advance letter to their address provided by DWP (see letter below). The letter provided an overview of the research and gave them the opportunity to opt in or opt out of the research^{[footnote 1]}. The letter contained both an email address and a free phone number. Most claimants used the free phone number to inform Ipsos if they wanted to opt in or opt out of the research.

Ten days after the advance letters were sent out, the recruitment team started contacting claimants that had not opted out of the research. Recruiters used a screening questionnaire (see below) to ensure those recruited met the criteria and the primary quotas. Recruitment took place between 1 March 2023 and 24 March 2023.

Participants were given a £40 shopping voucher as a thank you for taking part in the research, sent by post or email depending on their preference. They were also provided with a leaflet giving details of organisations who could provide support and advice if discussing the research topics raised any questions or concerns.

Research materials and fieldwork

30 interviews took place from 7 March 2023 to 4 April 2023. Interviews took place via telephone and lasted around 40 minutes.

Ipsos developed a discussion guide to be used in the interviews. This was then reviewed by DWP and amended by Ipsos before being approved by DWP. The discussion guide can be found in the appendix and covered:

internet use and confidence using technology
reasons for applying for UC via telephone
experience of making a claim
experience of managing a claim
support to move to an online claim

Analysis and deliverables

Ipsos held two analysis sessions. The first session took part during fieldwork and was designed to explore any emerging themes and assess if any changes needed to be made to the topic guide. The second analysis session took place at the end of fieldwork and the team discussed emerging key themes, recurring findings and other patterns across the interviews. DWP attended the second session and observed the discussions.

Interview notes were summarised in an analysis grid which set out the data each interview had provided against each of the interview topics and research questions. These were then analysed by theme.

Ipsos reported the findings in a 35-slide presentation deck shared with DWP. This included a summary of the methodological approach, key findings that addressed the research questions, and selected case studies to illustrate the findings.

Interpretation of findings

Qualitative research approaches are used to shed light on why people hold particular views, or have particular experiences, rather than how many people have those views or experiences. These approaches are used to explore the nuances and diversity of experiences and the factors which shape or underlie them. The results are intended to be illustrative and explanatory, rather than statistically reliable. Claimants were sampled to provide a range of characteristics, situations and experiences and not intended to be statistically representative of the wider claimant population.

It is not always possible in qualitative research to provide a precise or useful indication of the prevalence of a certain outcome or experience, due to the relatively small number of participants generally involved and because the sample is not intended to be statistically representative of the wider population. The findings reported here represent common themes emerging across multiple interviews.

Sometimes, ideas can be mentioned a number of times in a discussion, and yet hide the true drivers of experience; or a minority view can, in analysis, turn out to express and important emergent view or trend. The value of qualitative work is to identify the issues which bear future investigation. In reporting the qualitative findings, we focus on exploring the breadth of experiences, and identifying the main themes, rather than the number of people who have expressed that thought. Any proportions used in qualitative reporting, such as “some” or “many”, should always be considered indicative, rather than exact.

Where we pull out an example, insight or quote from one claimant, this is typically to illustrate findings that emerged more broadly across multiple interviews.

Question 2

Text of advance letter

Accepted Answer

[First_Name] [Last_Name]
[Address_1]
[Address_2]
[Address_3]
[Address_4]
[Postcode]

20 February 2023

Your reference: [IMID]

Dear [First_Name] [Last_Name],

Research to understand your experience of claiming Universal Credit via telephone.

We are writing to ask for your help with an important piece of research that Ipsos is carrying out for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). You may be selected to take part in this research because DWP’s records show that you applied for Universal Credit by telephone, or that you now manage your claim by telephone.

The research is about your experience of the claim process and managing your claim. It will provide DWP with important information about how they can support people claiming Universal Credit by telephone.

What will taking part involve?

The research involves taking part in a 40 minute interview in March, over the telephone. We will arrange the interview at a date and time to suit you. If you take part in the research, we will give you £40 in Love2Shop vouchers as a thank you.

The interviews will be confidential and only used for research purposes. You can read DWP’s privacy policy, and Ipsos’s privacy policy

Do I have to take part?

You do not have to take part. It is up to you. DWP will not know who has taken part in the research. Whether or not you choose to take part, it will not affect any benefits you claim now or in the future, or your interaction with DWP or Jobcentre Plus.

What do I need to do?

If you do not want to be contacted about this research, please let Ipsos know by calling 0800 141 3657 (free) to leave a message. Please include your name and the reference number on this letter. You can also let Ipsos know by emailing: UK-PA-DWP-claimingbenefits@ipsos.com. If you tell Ipsos you do not want to be contacted about the research, we will not contact you again.

If you would like to take part, you can use the same number or email address to tell Ipsos that you would like to take part. Please include your contact details. We will arrange a convenient time to call for the telephone interview.

If you do not contact Ipsos to opt out, Ipsos will pass your details onto our recruitment partner Criteria Fieldwork who will be setting up the research appointments. Criteria may call you in the next few weeks to see if you would like to take part and ask you some quick questions. The call will come from telephone number 020 7431 4399. If Criteria call you, you can still choose not to take part and you can decide this at any time. You can access Criteria’s privacy policy

If you have any questions, you can call Catherine at Ipsos on 020 7347 3302 or email Ipsos on UK-PA-DWP-claimingbenefits@ipsos.com. Or you can contact Antony Billinghurst at DWP on: UC.research@dwp.gov.uk to check the research is genuine.

We hope you will take part in this important research to help improve people’s experience of claiming Universal Credit.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Yours sincerely,

Antony Billinghurst
Social Research
Department for Work and Pensions

Catherine Crick
Project Director
Ipsos

Question 3

Text of recruitment screening questionnaire

Accepted Answer

Good morning / afternoon / evening. Please could I speak to [named contact or appointee if available from sample]?

My name is ……………… and I am calling you from Criteria Fieldwork, a research agency. Criteria Fieldwork have been commissioned by the research organisation Ipsos to organise some research interviews on behalf of them and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

We are contacting you as DWP records show you have made a claim for Universal Credit. We would like to speak to you about how you found the claim process, and how you find managing your Universal Credit claim. You may have received a letter in the last few weeks from Ipsos about taking part in this research.

The research would involve taking part in a 40-minute interview in March over the telephone. It can be arranged at a date and time to suit you. We would offer a £40 Love2Shop voucher as a “thank you” for your time. Does this sound like it would be of interest to you?

The interview will be conducted within the MRS (Market Research Society) Code of Conduct and General Data Protection Regulation 2018. This means that your responses will remain completely confidential and used for research purposes only. The findings will not identify you and no information that could identify you will be shared with DWP or any third parties. You can also choose not to answer any questions if you would prefer not to. You can access Criteria’s privacy notice on their website.

Participation in this research is entirely voluntary. It will not affect any benefits or services you receive, or your relationship with DWP, either now or in the future.

I just need to ask you a few questions before we confirm the interview. Are you happy to proceed?

Ask all

Q1. Do you remember approximately how long ago you put in a claim for Universal Credit?

Recruiter prompt with date given in the sample file if needed

In the last six months – 1 – Min 10

More than six months ago but less than a year ago – 2 – Min 10

More than a year ago but less than 2 years ago – 3 – Min 6

More than 2 years ago – 4 – Min 6

Not currently claiming Universal Credit – 5 – Thank you and close

Ask all

Q2A. And how did you make that claim?

If someone helped them to claim, ask about what method that person used

Filled in an online application form – 1 – Continue

Over a phone call – 2 – Continue

Don’t know/can’t remember – 3 – Thank you and close

Ask all

Q2B. Since you have been claiming Universal Credit, if you need to ask a question about your Universal Credit claim, or to update any information about your claim, how do you do this?

Recruiter prompt with information given in the sample file

If participant says they have never needed to do this, ask about how they would do it

I make a phone call – 1 – Min 10

I use the online service (the “journal”) – 2 – Min 10

If they made the claim online (Q2A=1) and use online services (Q2B=2) Thank you and close

Ask all

Q3A. Before claiming Universal Credit have you ever claimed one of the following benefits?

Options 1-7 can be multicode.

Employment Support Allowance – 1 – Go to Q3B

Child Tax Credit – 2 – Go to Q3B

Housing Benefit – 3 – Go to Q3B

Job Seekers Allowance – 4 – Go to Q3B

Working Tax Credit – 5 – Go to Q3B

Income Support – 6 – Go to Q3B

Universal Credit (previous to their current claim) – 7 – Voluntary quota

I have not claimed any other benefits in the past – 8 – Voluntary quota

Ask all who were previously claiming another benefit (Q3A=1-6)

Q3B. And thinking about before you applied for Universal Credit, which of the following best applied to you?

I was told to move to Universal Credit because of a change in my situation (such as moving house or a change in my working hours) – 1 – Change in circumstances quota

I got a letter telling me to move to Universal Credit even though there was no change in my situation – 2 – Managed migration quota

I was claiming another benefit or Tax Credits and chose to move to Universal Credit – 3 – Voluntary quota

I had stopped claiming my previous benefit so had to start a new claim for Universal Credit – 4 – Voluntary quota

Q7. What is your current work situation?

Working full-time (30 hours a week or more) – 1 – Record for information

Working part-time – 2 – Record for information

Not working – 3 – Record for information

Finally, I’m going to ask a few questions about your personal characteristics. This is just to make sure we get a range of people taking part in the research. If you do not want to answer these questions you can just say “prefer not to say”.

Ask all

Q8A. Do you have any physical or mental health conditions or illnesses lasting or expected to last for 12 months or more?

Yes – 1 – Go to Q8B

No – 2 – Continue

Don’t know/ prefer not to say – 3 – Continue

Ask if yes at Q8A (Q8A=1)

Q8B. This question asks about whether your health condition or illness currently affects your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, either a lot or a little or not at all. In answering this question, you should consider whether you are affected while receiving any treatment or medication for your condition or illness and/or using any devices such as a hearing aid, for example.

Does your condition or illness/do any of your conditions or illnesses reduce your ability to carry out day-to-day activities?

Yes, a lot – 1 – Min 6

Yes, a little – 1 – Min 6

Not at all – 2 – Continue

Don’t know/ prefer not to say – 3 – Continue

Ask all

Q9. How old are you?

18-24 – 1 – Mix and monitor

25-34 – 2 – Mix and monitor

35-44 – 3 – Mix and monitor

45-54 – 4 – Mix and monitor

55+ – 5 – Mix and monitor

Ask all

Q10. How would you describe your gender?

Male – 1 – Record for information

Female – 2 – Record for information

In another way – 3 – Record for information

Prefer not to say – 4 – Record for information

Ask all

Q11. Are you still happy to take part in the interview over the phone?

Yes – 1 – Continue

No – X – Close

Ask all

Q12. It may be necessary for Ipsos UK to contact you by email or telephone after the research has taken place to follow up on ideas generated during the discussion. You would only be contacted if strictly necessary and only in connection with this research. Are you happy to agree to be re-contacted on this basis?

Yes – 1 – Continue

No – 2 – Refer to office

If yes – take down name, number, email and time and date of the interview and share with research team. Confirm they are happy for the interview to be recorded.

Question 4

Text of discussion guide

Accepted Answer

1. Introduction (2-3 minutes)

Thank participant for taking part. Introduce self and explain nature of interview: informal conversation; all opinions valid. Interviews should take around 40 minutes.

Introduce research and topic – The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has commissioned Ipsos to conduct research with Universal Credit claimants who have applied via telephone or manage their claim via telephone.

Role of Ipsos – Independent research organisation (i.e. independent of government), we adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct.

Confidentiality – reassure all responses anonymous and that identifiable information about them will not be passed on to anyone, including back to DWP or any other government department. The only exception to this would be if they tell you something that makes you concerned they, or someone else, is at serious risk of harm – in that case we might need to pass this on to someone else to provide help. Reassure them that participation will have no impact on their Universal Credit claim or any dealings with DWP now or in the future.

Consent – check that they are happy to take part in the interview and understand their participation is voluntary (they can withdraw at any time during the interview).

Ask for permission to digitally record – when recording starts - General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires a legal basis to process your data. Our legal basis is your consent which you are free to withdraw at any point during or after the research (up until mid-April – after this time the data would have been analysed and cannot be removed). Are you happy to continue?

Any questions before we begin?

2. Background and context (5 minutes)

To start off with, I’m going to ask a few questions about yourself.

Can you tell me a bit about yourself? Probe:

Family and home life:

where do they live? How long have they lived there?
who they live with – any children still living at home, or other caring responsibilities, such as elderly parents?

What is a typical week like for you? (Allow participant to give spontaneous account then probe, if not mentioned):

what are your regular routines or activities?
are you working? If so, can you tell me a bit about your job?
if not working, tell me a bit more about this: how long not working, how are you feeling about this at the moment?
other than your family/the people you live with, are there other friends or family you see often? What do you do with those people usually?
(if not already covered) Do you or anyone you care for have any health conditions? How does that affect you?

3. Views on different kinds of tasks (5 minutes)

These next few questions are about how comfortable you feel with different kinds of tasks. It won’t be a test and there are no right or wrong answers.

How comfortable would you say you are with digital technology, such as computers, tablets or smartphones?

what makes you say that?
how often do you use this type of technology, if at all?

How often do you use the Internet, if at all?

(If participant says ‘never’ or similar) What are the reasons for that? Have you ever used the Internet or tried to use it? What was that experience like?

(If participant uses the Internet at least occasionally) How easy or difficult do you find it to use the internet? What makes you say that? (Probe fully).

what do you tend to use the Internet for?
do you usually access the internet on your phone, on a computer, or both? Do you use different devices for different things (for example, online shopping compared to reading the news)?
(if on a computer) Where do you generally use the internet (at home, library, work, friends and family, etc).
do you have broadband/wifi access at home?

(If participant is not confident with using the internet)

how does that affect you?
if you needed to use the internet for something, what would you do? (Probe on e.g. if someone could help them)

How comfortable would you say you are with filling in forms, for example at the doctor’s, for a job application or for your children’s school? (Adapt examples as appropriate)

what makes you say that?
what makes forms easy to fill in? What makes them more difficult?
does it make a difference for you if the form is on paper or on a screen? What difference does it make?
(If participant finds it difficult/uncomfortable) If you needed help to fill in a form for something, what would you do?

4. Reasons for making a telephone claim

The next questions are about your claim for Universal Credit. First of all, I’d like you to think back to when you put in your claim for Universal Credit.

Roughly how long ago did you make your claim for UC?

what was happening in your life at the time?
what were your reasons for claiming Universal Credit?
were you claiming any other benefits at the time you made your first claim for UC, or have you claimed other benefits in the past?

Before claiming, what did you know about Universal Credit, if anything?

where did you get this information from?
did you talk to anyone about how to claim Universal Credit?
did you look up any information about how to claim Universal Credit?

Did anyone help you to make your claim for Universal Credit?

who helped you with your claim? (E.g. family, friends, an organisation such as Citizens Advice)
did you ask them for help? (If so:) what were your reasons for this?
if an organisation, how did they come to support you with this? (probe on e.g. whether participant approached them directly, via friends/family, via work coach, through an existing relationship). How did you know this organisation could help you with your claim?
what did they help you with?

And when you went to make the claim, what was the first thing you did?

(probe on whether tried to apply online first, or made a phone call (if so to whom))
(if participant tried to apply online first and then switched to telephone:) What was it that meant you didn’t continue with your online claim? What did you do next?

(The rest of this section is only for claimants who applied via telephone (screener question 2A))

How did you find out that you could apply for Universal Credit over the phone?

What were the reasons that you applied for Universal Credit over the phone, instead of applying online?

probe fully – “any other reason?”
what, if anything, would have made it easier for you to apply online?
if it hadn’t been possible to apply over the phone, what would you have done? (Seek spontaneous first, then probe on whether anyone could have helped them)

5. Experience of making a claim (5 minutes)

(This section is written for claimants who applied via telephone (screener question 2A). For claimants who applied online, please adapt as necessary).

(Recap first steps as described in previous section and ask participant what happened next):

can you talk me through the rest of the process of applying for UC, as much as you can remember?
how long did it take to make your claim?
did you need to have multiple phone calls with DWP to make your claim?

Did you have any problems when making your claim, or anything that was confusing?

what issues did you face?
what happened next?
did anyone help you deal with these issues?
how was your issue resolved?

(If relevant) What did you think of the service from the DWP telephone advisors when you were making the claim?

what were the advisors like?
how helpful or unhelpful were they? What makes you say that?
is their anything they could have done differently to support you making a claim?

Is there any way that the claim process could be improved in the future for other people making a claim?

(probe on: time it took to make a claim, simplicity of the service, any additional support) Overall, how would you rate your experience of applying for Universal Credit?
why do you say that?

6. Experience of managing a claim (5 minutes)

Since you first made a claim for Universal Credit, has DWP been in contact with you about your claim?

what did they contact you about?
how did they contact you? (e.g. on phone, letter, in person at the job centre)
how well did this work? What makes you say that?
would there have been a better way for them to contact you? And have you needed to contact DWP about your claim, for example to update your details? (If so):
what did you need to contact them about?
how did you contact them? How easy or difficult was this for you?
were you able to get a response quickly from DWP when you contacted them?

(If they have not contacted DWP:) how would you contact DWP if you needed to? Why would you use that option?

How well does managing your claim by telephone work for you?

how easy or difficult is it overall?
do you have any concerns about managing your claim by telephone? (If a claimant applied online but now manages the claim via telephone (see screener questions 2A and 2B)):

What made you decide to manage your claim for UC over the phone instead of online?

probe fully - “any other reason?”
how did you find the online Universal Credit service? How easy or difficult was this to use?
was there something in particular that made you want to switch to telephone?
was there a change in your life that made it more difficult for you to manage your claim online?
how did you find out that you could manage your claim for UC over the phone instead of online?

And how did you switch to doing this?

talk me through the process.
how easy or difficult was it to switch? What makes you say that?

How well does managing your claim by telephone work for you, compared to online?

what is better about it than using the online service?
is there anything about it which is not as good as the online service?

(If claimant claimed via telephone but now manages their claim online (see screener questions 2A and 2B)):

Can I just check, do you currently manage your Universal Credit claim using the online service? This is known as the “journal”.

What made you decide to manage your claim for UC online instead of over the phone?

probe fully - “any other reason?”
was there something in particular that made you want to switch to online?
was there a change in your life that made it more difficult for you to manage your claim over the phone, or easier to use the online service?

And how did you switch to doing this?

talk me through the process.
how easy or difficult was it to switch? What makes you say that?
is there any way that DWP could have supported you better when moving to the online service?

How well does managing your claim online work for you, compared to telephone?

how often do you use the journal?
how easy or difficult is it overall?
what is better about it than managing your claim by phone?
is there anything about it which is not as good as managing your claim by phone?
do you have any concerns about using the online journal?

7. Moving to claim online (5 minutes)

(If claimant claimed via telephone (see screener question 2A)).

Thinking back to when you made your claim to UC, is there any support that could have helped you to make a claim online instead? (Probe on:

support filling in the online application – from whom?
more information about how to apply online)

(Claimants who manage their claim via telephone (see screener question 2B)).

Would managing your Universal Credit claim online ever be an option for you, or will you always manage your claim via telephone?

what makes you say that?

If you were ever going to manage your claim online what support would you need? Probe on:

support using the internet
support with digital technology
internet access at home

8. Summing up (2 – 3 minutes)

We are coming to the end of the interview, but I have a few final questions before we finish. What is the most important thing that DWP could do to best support people applying for UC via telephone?

Finally, is there anything else you would like to mention that we haven’t had the opportunity to discuss?

Thank and reiterate confidentiality. Incentives = a £40 voucher ‘thank you’ from Ipsos for their time and contribution. Check how participant would like to receive voucher: if they have said online shopping and/or email is difficult for them then offer to send vouchers in the post instead.

Signpost for further information / if any concerns about discussion:

Universal Credit

Citizens Advice

entitledto

Samaritans

24 claimants opted in to the research and 18 opted out of the research. ↩

Technical report: Universal Credit telephone claims