New research from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) shows that people claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) were less likely to say they trusted the department than customers receiving any of seven other benefits included in a major survey.
The DWP Customer Experience Survey for 2025/26 found 76 per cent of PIP respondents said they had trust in the department. This compared with 80 per cent across all benefit customers surveyed and was the lowest figure among the eight benefits included in the research.
Trust levels across benefits
Trust was highest among Attendance Allowance respondents at 91 per cent, followed by Pension Credit at 87 per cent, State Pension and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children at 85 per cent, Carer's Allowance at 84 per cent, Universal Credit at 79 per cent and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) at 78 per cent.
The findings come from 9,781 surveys conducted with benefit customers who had contact with the DWP between April 2025 and March 2026. The research covered PIP, Universal Credit, State Pension, Pension Credit, Attendance Allowance, Carer's Allowance, ESA and DLA for children.
Satisfaction with decision times and staff understanding
The survey examined several aspects of people's experiences with the DWP, and PIP respondents recorded some of the lowest scores. Just over three-quarters - 77 per cent - were satisfied with the time it took the DWP to tell them the outcome of decisions made about their claim. That was the lowest figure for any of the eight benefits and compared with an overall satisfaction rate of 86 per cent.
Attendance Allowance recorded the highest figure at 95 per cent, followed by State Pension at 94 per cent, while Pension Credit and Carer's Allowance were both at 90 per cent.
PIP respondents were also the least likely to say DWP staff understood their needs. Some 74 per cent agreed that DWP colleagues understood their needs, compared with 80 per cent across the survey. Attendance Allowance recorded the highest figure at 90 per cent.
Meanwhile, 71 per cent of PIP respondents agreed it was easy to use DWP services. This was higher than the 67 per cent recorded among ESA customers but below the overall figure of 81 per cent.
Overall satisfaction and survey details
Despite the lower scores in several areas, the large majority of PIP respondents said they were satisfied with DWP services overall. Overall satisfaction among PIP customers stood at 85 per cent, joint lowest with ESA but only three percentage points below the 88 per cent recorded across all eight benefits.
Attendance Allowance customers reported the highest overall satisfaction at 97 per cent, followed by State Pension at 95 per cent and Carer's Allowance at 93 per cent. The survey also found 98 per cent of PIP respondents agreed that the DWP paid them the amount it said it would, while another 98 per cent said payments were made when the department said they would be.
The Customer Experience Survey does not cover every person receiving the eight benefits. It focuses on customers who had recent contact with the DWP, including people making a new claim or reporting a change of circumstances. For Universal Credit and ESA, the sample also included customers attending Jobcentre appointments.
Contact could include telephone calls, letters, emails, Jobcentre visits, online forms or use of a Universal Credit online journal. The DWP said the survey data was weighted by factors including age, gender, length of claim, reason for contact and benefit type.
The research was commissioned by the DWP, with fieldwork independently carried out by IFF Research. The full results of the survey are available on GOV.UK.
