More than half of voters believe young people claiming disability benefits should be hit with sanctions if they turn down employment opportunities, polling shared with The i Paper suggests. 

More than six in 10 (61 per cent) of those surveyed think 18- to 24-year-olds in receipt of personal independence payments (PIP) – the main disability benefit – should face a reduction in their welfare payments if they refuse reasonable work support. Only 17 per cent disagreed.

Half of those polled (50 per cent) believe young people are turning to benefits due to a lack of work opportunities for them, compared to 24 per cent who disagree.

Meanwhile, 46 per cent of voters believe the rules deciding who qualifies for PIP should be tightened so fewer people receive it, whilst 27 per cent disagreed.

The PF Global survey was commissioned by the 2030 Prosperity Alliance – a non-political coalition of business leaders and economists led by the chair of NatWest, Richard Haythornthwaite.

Lord John Hutton, former Labour work and pensions secretary and commissioner at the 2030 Prosperity Alliance, said the welfare system is “failing young people” and called for more support, including sanctions. 

“There needs to be more support on offer and a stronger set of incentives to find work, including, where necessary, tougher sanctions,” he said. 

Paul Johnson, former director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and now the 2030 Prosperity Alliance’s chief economist, said that while universal credit (UC) has helped get people into work, there are growing numbers of people on health-related benefits without needing to seek employment.  

“In general, the welfare system remains too passive, focusing much more on disbursing around £150bn a year in benefits than on supporting recipients into more and better work,” he said. 

Josh Dean, the Labour MP for Hertford and Stortford, said the focus must be on providing young people with “personalised, long-term job support” to ensure they are supported and incentivised to work. 

But former welfare rebel Neil Duncan-Jordan, Labour MP for Poole, previously warned that disabled people must be given appropriate work opportunities, saying: “Are you asking them to do something that is reasonable and that was within their sphere of capability, or are you setting them up to fail?”

Tom Pollard, head of policy at Mind, said adding conditions to those on PIP and out of work would “undermine the purpose of the benefit, potentially putting people under unnecessary stress that would make it harder for them to engage with support”.

“People with mental health problems need compassion and understanding, rather that the threat of sanctions, if they are to live fulfilling lives and get into work,” he said.

It comes as former New Labour-era minister Alan Milburn is finalising a review into how to help young people not in education, employment or training (Neets) find work. It is expected to recommend that younger claimants should be given less cash in exchange for more health and employment support.

This could see under-25s who have never worked going through a separate system, based on different principles, according to the . They would be required to take up work support to receive benefits, although it is not clear whether this would include PIP.

Currently, under-25s can get an additional £429.80 on top of the standard £338.58 UC if they are judged unfit to work. Separate PIP benefits, which are not linked to work and do not involve sanctions, are up to £843 a month. 

Separately, disability minister Sir Stephen Timms is looking at alternatives to PIP, which will recommend a complete overhaul of disability benefits to support more people into work, with some claimants encouraged to swap cash for other forms of support such as therapy.

The disability benefit, which is now claimed by four million people, is currently awarded according to a points-based system that takes into account how an applicant’s health condition affects their ability to perform daily tasks.

Milburn’s final report into youth joblessness is expected after the 28 October Budget, meaning any extra funding to support people off benefits will be delayed until the next spending review. His interim report concluded that the current system spends £25 on benefits for every £1 spent on employment support. 

The reports were commissioned after Sir Keir Starmer’s attempt at reforming the welfare system last summer resulted in a major backbench revolt which heavily watered down the proposed benefit cuts. 

Welfare reforms are now less likely to be controversial with the public, according to the polling.

A belief that young claimants should be sanctioned for turning down work was largely shared across political affiliation, with 76 per cent of 2024 Tory voters agreeing, followed by those who voted for Lib Dems (67 per cent), Reform (63 per cent), Labour (60 per cent) and the Greens (48 per cent).

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “We’re restoring opportunity for young people through our £2.5bn youth employment package, delivering almost one million opportunities to earn and learn, while also investing £3.5bn in employment support to help disabled people and those with long-term health conditions so they can move into work and build a better life.

“We will always ensure there is a safety net for the most vulnerable and those who are unable to work.”