Almost half of people support paying compensation to women affected by changes to the State Pension age, according to a major new poll. Research carried out by Stack Data Strategy among 10,052 adults across Great Britain found 47 per cent believe affected women should receive either full or partial financial redress.
The polling found 13 per cent opposed compensation, while 56 per cent of respondents said women affected by State Pension age changes had been wronged. The research was carried out between July 8 and August 4 and used MRP modelling to estimate attitudes across 631 parliamentary constituencies in Great Britain. The Speaker's constituency and seats in Northern Ireland were excluded.
Support higher than opposition in every constituency
According to the analysis commissioned by the WASPI campaign, estimated support for compensation was higher than opposition in every constituency covered by the modelling. The findings come as campaigners continue to push the UK Government for financial redress over failures in the way changes to women's State Pension age were communicated.
People taking part in the research were also presented with information about the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's (PHSO) findings and asked how they thought the UK Government should respond. The WASPI campaign said 83 per cent then selected an option involving some form of financial compensation.
Compensation options presented
Among the options presented were paying the maximum compensation recommended and making proportionate payments of between £1,000 and £2,950 per woman. The PHSO concluded in March 2024 that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) maladministration in communicating State Pension age changes had caused injustice. Its report asked Parliament to identify an appropriate remedy.
The dispute concerns the communication of increases in women's State Pension age, rather than the principle of equalising State Pension ages for men and women. It's important to be aware that WASPI does not campaign for the women's State Pension age to be returned to 60.
Campaign response and voting intentions
Commenting on the findings, Angela Madden, chair of the WASPI campaign, said: "This research sends a clear message to ministers: supporters of compensation outnumber opponents by almost four to one."
"We are pleased that Andy Burnham has recognised the harms experienced by WASPI women and has committed to meeting us to discuss what providing fair redress looks like. WASPI stands ready to work with the Government to identify a solution that is fair to both affected women and the taxpayer."
The poll also asked respondents whether the UK Government's position on compensation could affect their future voting intentions. More than a third, 37 per cent, said Labour refusing to compensate WASPI women would make them less likely to vote for the party at the next General Election.
Among people who said they voted Labour at the 2024 General Election, 38 per cent said they would be less likely to vote for the party if compensation were refused. Those figures describe respondents' answers to a hypothetical polling question and do not necessarily indicate how they will ultimately vote.
