Many expect to be able to survive on welfare

It has been revealed in a recent report that many people in Britain feel that they would be able to survive adequately on government welfare in the event that they lost their jobs. More than a third of Brits were found to believe that the government would provide them with adequate sums of cash if they lost their jobs, even though the amount per week comes to under £70.00.

The research was carried out by the insurance giant Scottish provident, and the data showed that around 16.5 million Brits, equating to around 35 percent, thought that the money that they would get from the government in the form of welfare would provide a sufficient financial safety net to enable them to continue living as normal in the event that they lost their jobs.

The figures show that the number of people that believe that the government welfare payments would suffice and meet their needs has soared over recent years. In 2003 only 22 percent of Brits thought that they would be able to survive on government welfare if they lost their job, but this has now soared to around 35 percent.

During this period the average increase on job seekers allowance has been just six pounds where as inflation has rocketed, making regular outgoings far more expensive for consumers.

An official from Scottish Provident said: ‘Over the past five years, more people have come to believe that the state would provide an adequate safety net should the worst happen and we find ourselves out of work. However, the reality is that the average increase in job seekers allowance of just under £6 doesn’t come close to the cost of living in today’s world and the Government will continue to place greater emphasis on people providing for themselves.’