[Herr]

How many percent of those on welfare benefits do you think are benefit scroungers?

While many on the left tend to think it is a small minority of those on benefits aren't genuinely in need of benefits, how true do you think this really is?

[Piprod01]

Some people just have an odd view of it all. You know, the,"I BET YOU HAVE A PLASMA TV!!!" crowd.

The actual proportion of actual "scroungers" is probably very small.

[ckingalt]

Define "scrounger".

If a scrounger is someone who commits outright fraud to receive benefits, then I would say the percentage is significantly low. If a scrounger is anyone who could/would have done more to support themselves if absolutely necessary, then I would say almost everyone who claims benefits is guilty. This of course excludes the sick, disabled and minors.

[Doskey]

I don't know about anywhere else but in my area I would say it's about 40%. It's a rather isolated place with very few shops, let alone services for the population. Many people don't have anything more than GCSEs so there are not many jobs to go around. As people normally stay in the area I think a lot of people have the mentality of 'oh there are no jobs suitable for me so I won't bother looking'. The closest town to me has a massive 40% of the population (about 40000, so 16000 on benefits) on JSA in the first place so 40% of that is still a lot of people.

[Mr Dangermouse]

From what I know it's pretty high. Everyone who was on EMA used it as a beer fund.


However with JSA it's must lower.


I'll say 30%

[select the right name]

My partners ex wife gets £113 child tax credits, £71 job seekers allowance, £130 child maintenance per week. She pays no rent and no council tax. Where is her incentive to work? I would love to call her a scrounger, she hasn't worked since 1999 but if I was getting that amount of money each week, I probably wouldn't work........in actual fact, I would be entitled to more in benefits than her cos I have more children than her but I have self respect and work for my money.

I don't think the problem is with people claiming benefits, its a problem with the government allowing people to have so much money for doing nothing.

[Piprod01]

(Original post by Doskey)
I don't know about anywhere else but in my area I would say it's about 40%. It's a rather isolated place with very few shops, let alone services for the population. Many people don't have anything more than GCSEs so there are not many jobs to go around. As people normally stay in the area I think a lot of people have the mentality of 'oh there are no jobs suitable for me so I won't bother looking'. The closest town to me has a massive 40% of the population (about 40000, so 16000 on benefits) on JSA in the first place so 40% of that is still a lot of people.

Maybe there just aren't jobs?

[Piprod01]

(Original post by Mr Dangermouse)
From what I know it's pretty high. Everyone who was on EMA used it as a beer fund.

My initial reaction is to say, "so what". Isn't it better that more young people from poorer backgrounds continue in school? Even if the money is for booze.

[Doskey]

(Original post by Piprod01)
Maybe there just aren't jobs?

That's sort of what I mean. There aren't the jobs so for people that get rejection after rejection, month after month it would take it's toll on them and they would probably think, 'what's the point?' and give up and start 'scrounging'. In a way, I don't blame them, it must be incredibly depressing.

[Mr Dangermouse]

(Original post by Piprod01)
My initial reaction is to say, "so what". Isn't it better that more young people from poorer backgrounds continue in school? Even if the money is for booze.

Yeah but my parents are hardly going to give me 30 quid a week to use on booze, so I wanted the money

[Mr Dangermouse]

(Original post by Doskey)
That's sort of what I mean. There aren't the jobs so for people that get rejection after rejection, month after month it would take it's toll on them and they would probably think, 'what's the point?' and give up and start 'scrounging'. In a way, I don't blame them, it must be incredibly depressing.

Pretty much agree.

[Electric_Dynamo]

It's hard when your on JSA as most people label you as lazy and a scounger. I had been on JSA for well over a year prior to getting my comfirmation for a Access to HE course in Sept. I put my heart and soul into finding employment, handing out CV's, applying for well over 8+ jobs per week as well as having two voluntary placements to enhance my CV. I know this post isn't aimed at me but I resent being labelled for getting help.

[Left Hand Drive]

I guess OP means people who refuse to work? 5% or less is my honest opinion.

[crocker710]

17.4367631% Approx. [imately]

[Aspiringlawstudent]

100%.

Whatever their reason, they are stealing from other people.

Taxation is theft. The fact that government perpetrates it rather than a hooligan on the street corner makes it no more acceptable.

Read 'For a New Liberty' by Murray Rothbard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_a_New_Liberty

Here is the entire text: http://www.mises.org/rothbard/foranewlb.pdf

[Tensei]

Very true!

If you have good health, and a working body, I do not see how you cannot make your own money

[Piprod01]

(Original post by Tensei)
Very true!

If you have good health, and a working body, I do not see how you cannot make your own money

Because the number of jobs is far outstripped by the number of healthy unemployed.

[Alkain1607]

I think the number is very small, just exaggerated by Governments- scare mongering I suppose. We need more jobs, and I think raising the minimum wage to an acceptable amount would help- rather than cutting benefits for the long term unemployed who are actually looking for work. I don't think it's fair to classify everyone on benefits as scroungers- we know there out there- but I don't think there are many of them- we need to help the poor unemployed by creating some jobs

[xoxAngel_Kxox]

I think there are far fewer people choosing to abuse the system than you think. Often those people who you know are scrounging brag about doing so, or are very open about it, and what you might not realise is that thousands of others claim benefits quietly because they have no other choice in the matter at that time. Of course, you never hear stories of the people who go on benefits for a couple of months while they're between jobs, or those who are long term disabled and get extra help in addition to working. We have a culture that summons up an image of Jeremy Kyle dole-ites with 12 kids by the age of 20 whenever anyone mentions "benefits", and I think that's a real pity.

[Alkain1607]

Oh indeed, there are some rich individuals who scrounge benefits that they don't really need- it's those people we should also be targeting. I daresay they make up 50% or so