Anvar Sarygulov and Phoebe Arslanagić-Wakefield

January 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic and the rising cost of living has put significant strain on the finances of low-income households, exposing flaws with the UK’s social security system.

This report examines the adequacy, accessibility and fairness of the UK’s social security system for working-age adults in low-income households before and during the pandemic, before proposing three major policies to strengthen social security.