I have a negative experience with universal credit because it does not improve the quality of my life and keeps me in poverty, struggling to eat, put a roof over my head and makes it even harder to find employment. I know some employers who have said they would not hire people on universal credit, making it harder for those people to change their realities. I know the system does not work but the government know they are in the wrong for not creating a service that works and research has proven the government created these jobcentres. People are fighting for change and something better which annoys the government because they know they need to invest money and create a system that works and they don't want to do that.

I find UC very difficult to engage with, especially being ill and self-employed.

Tax Credits were much easier.

The weather is getting cold. That means staying indoors, that means using more electric and gas! Will have to budget for food even.

As an asylum seeker, I often feel that Universal Credit is out of reach until my status is confirmed. This makes the system seem distant and confusing to me. Most of what I understand comes from charities or others in similar situations, rather than clear official guidance. Because of this, I feel uncertain and anxious about asking for help. I depend a lot on support organisations to navigate the process. The complexity and fear of making mistakes make me less confident handling the system on my own.

To my own view on universal credit isn't informed by personal beliefs, as it is designed to be neutral. What informs my views are are:

- Department for work and pensions (DWP), eligibility processes and changes, such as legacy benefits migration.

- User Experience: Reports from Citizens Advice Bureau, and parliamentary committees.

- Media and Academic discourse with balanced coverage (BBC, Guardian) and also academic studies on welfare outcomes.

It costs the UK Government more to put the disabled through degrading health assessments and tribunals to deny them benefits than just providing the benefits to claimants.

Why?

I think the name is the problem and the stigmas attached to UC. Perhaps National Entitlement would be better.

It is the uncertainty for me. The fear of losing support if I work more makes me very cautious in how I engage with the system. Instead of feeling encouraged to progress, I often feel anxious and unsure.

Universal Credit is needed to be claimed by low wage earners to allow tax avoiding business owners bosses to keep the wages to minimum.

Good day

It's a very windy and rainy day, we are just indoors

Good day

It's a good question but I won't be about to answer because I'm an asylum seeker

I have formed my view on universal credit by watching other people who have moved onto this system fall into debt fairly quickly, I have seen people who are good at budgeting money now borrowing money on regular basis. I remember universal credit telling me you might be better off on universal credit before my switch but I believe it's a marketing tool. I feel like no one explains that some months have 5 weeks which will mean a bigger stretch between payments. We should be taught how not to touch your money when you get paid or you will not have any money left to survive on. I've never felt more in survival mode in my life. I find myself sitting and not spending the majority of the month every month.

I find it very hard to put any money away for emergencies because if I have any money left which is rare I'm then in a 5 week month and need to use that money for food, gas electric etc. I have explained how I have been placed into debt myself as a direct result of moving to universal credit but they didn't want to know or help. The loan we have to take out switching over places everyone in debt when we would normally recieve payments during this time, that I know has been purposely done, as humans we behave different when we are in debt and the day to day stress has an affect on our bodies as well. As a single parent I have to behave the same so my daughter doesn't have a mindset of lack which will affect her possibly for the rest of her life and I want to give her the best start in life.

On legacy benefits I didn't put much thought into benefits but now i have to plan my life around universal credit before I spend, before I agree to a credit spending plan, before I plan a journey. I dont have anything left to socialise and that looks like not having an evening out with my friends in over a year. We need to look at other countries who plan their system well with much better outcomes and use that as a example to plan the next stages or this country and the next generation won't stand a chance in the future. We have a weak system that is weakening people mentally, physically and emotionally. We fall behind a year from inflation hikes to getting correctly paid to reflect that and by that time inflation has increased again. The entire system has been created so people will never live a comfortable life or afford any luxuries, even a holiday or hair appointments are now an out of budget luxury.