Change of https://www.gov.uk/guidance/current-dwp-research-in-the-field-undertaken-by-external-organisations

Change description : 2026-07-02 09:34:00: Updated table to show current DWP research in the field to be undertaken by external organisations from June 2026. [Guidance and regulation]

Showing diff : 2026-06-17 15:05:46.660792726 +00:00..2026-07-02 08:34:55.630217719 +00:00

Guidance

Current DWP research being undertaken by external organisations

Check a list of live research being conducted by research organisations for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

From:
Department for Work and Pensions
Published
7 April 2025
Last updated
217 JulyJune 2026 — See all updates

If you have been contacted to take part in research by an external research organisation on behalf of DWP, check this list to verify that the contact is genuine.

Check that the fieldwork dates, title and description match the information you received when you were approached.

List of current fieldwork

Fieldwork dates Title Description
July 2026 to September 2026Verian – Journeys to DLAc You may be contacted to take part in this research. The aim is to understand the journeys claimants take, the advice channels used, and any barriers to claiming DLAc.
July 2026 to August 2026Verian – NEET and Young People SurveyYou may be contacted by Verian to take part in a survey. The aim of the research is to gather insight into young people’s real-life experiences, including at work, looking for work and education and training.
July 2026 to August 2026Verian – Solutions TestingYou may be contacted by Verian to take part in some qualitative research. The aim of the research is to understand perceptions of, and preferences towards the types of support which may help young people into work, education and training.
July 2026 to August 2026 NatCen – Timms Review SurveyThe Timms Review is a co-produced review of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) system.
July 2026Ipsos – Perceptions of the Benefit SystemYou may be contacted by Ipsos to take part in this research. The research aims to understand your feelings regarding the benefit system, how it’s currently working, and how you interact with it.
July 2026 to October 2026Ipsos – Self-employed peoples’ perspectives on pension savingYou may be contacted by Ipsos to take part in this research. The research aims to hear your perspectives and help develop solutions for the self-employed to support pension saving.
July 2026 to October 2026Verian – Help to Claim EvaluationYou may be contacted to take part in this research.  The aim is to understand experiences of using Help to Claim to make a claim for Universal Credit.
June 2026 to November 2026 Verian – Phase 1 Jobs Guarantee Process Evaluation You may be contacted to take part in this research. The aim is to understand how the Phase 1 Jobs Guarantee delivery model is working in practice.
June 2026 to September 2026 Ipsos – How Move to Universal Credit Customers Engage with the Labour Market once on Universal Credit You may be contacted by Ipsos to take part in this research. The research aims to understand your level of engagement with the labour market and your employment aspirations now that you are on Universal Credit, as well as these prior to your move to Universal Credit. The research will help inform the design of Universal Credit.
May 2026 to June 2026 IFF Research – Customer Experience Survey You may by contacted by IFF Research to take part in a survey. The aim of the research is to find out customers’ experiences and opinions of interacting with the DWP. The research will help guide how DWP engages with customers in the future.
April 2026 to August 2026 NatCen – Connect to Work - Cognitive interviews to test Connect to Work survey questions You may be contacted to take part in this research. The aim is to hear your thoughts on a selection of survey questions focused on people’s experiences of the Connect to Work programme. Cognitive interviewing is a research method that provides insights into how people understand and respond to survey questions. These interviews will help development of the upcoming Connect to Work survey and to ensure questions are interpreted easily and understood.
April 2026 to June 2026 Verian – Understanding and views of Universal Credit You may be contacted to take part in this research. The aim is to find out more about your views on claiming Universal Credit and how claiming Universal Credit impacts you and your household
April 2026 to May 2026 PIP Award Reviews SurveyYou may be contacted by phone, email or letter to take part in a research discussion. The aim is to understand Personal Independence Payment (PIP) customers’ experiences and expectations of the Award Review process.
March 2026YouGov – Young People and Work Report: Survey with young people who are not in work, education or trainingThe Milburn Review is an investigation into the causes of record unemployment and inactivity among 16 to 24 year olds.
March 2026 to April 2026Verian – Young People and Work Report: Qualitative InterviewsThe Milburn Review is an investigation into the causes of record unemployment and inactivity among 16 to 24 year olds.
March 2026 to June 2026 Verian – Jobs and Careers Service (JCS) – Flexible Delivery Network – Location and Environment Research You may be contacted to participate in this research. The research will explore the views of DWP claimants, non-claimants, partners, and employers with regards to the location and design of elements of the JCS Flexible Delivery Network, to understand how this influences their engagement and experiences with DWP’s Jobcentres.
JuneMarch 2026 to OctoberJuly 2026 IFFIFF/BIT Research/Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) – Research to Maximise Digital Channel Uptake You may be contacted to take part in this researchresearch. and invited to join a workshop, either online or in-person. The research will explore people’sthe experiencesbehavioural ofdrivers and barriers to using online channels across DWP services and identifywill engage with both customers and colleagues to develop ideaspractical solutions that can support digital channel usage.uptake.
March 2026 to July 2026 Ipsos UK – Disability Living Allowance for children (DLAc) Areas of extra cost and additional need The aim is to learn more about the areas of extra costs and additional need for families claiming DLAc.
February 2026 to June 2026 NatCen – Experiences of the Connect to Work programme You may be contacted to take part in this research. The aim is to learn more about the early experiences of the programme.
April 2026 to June 2026 Verian – Evaluation of the WorkWell Primary Care Innovation Fund You may be contacted to take part in this research. The aim is to understand how the funded interventions are being delivered in GP practices within the 15 pilot WorkWell areas and the experiences of healthcare professionals and healthcare administrative staff involved.
February 2026 to March 2026IFF Research: –Young People and Work Report: Employers SurveyThe Milburn Review is an investigation into the causes of record unemployment and inactivity among 16 to 24 year olds. This research will provide evidence on the views of employers on experiences of and barriers to employing young people / NEETs. This will enable the review to more fully consider evidence around employers’ views on what is driving the increase in the NEET population as well as views on any potential solutions to the problem.
February 2026 to March 2026Verian – Young People and Work Report: Qualitative Interviews with NEET 16 to 24 year olds not currently claiming a health and disability benefitThe Milburn Review is an investigation into the causes of record unemployment and inactivity among 16 to 24 year olds. This research will help us to understand the drivers behind the significant number of young people who are NEET (not in employment, education or training).
February 2026 to March 2026YouGov – Young People and Work Report: Survey with Education ProfessionalsThe Milburn Review is an investigation into the causes of record unemployment and inactivity among 16 to 24 year olds. This research will enable the review to more fully consider evidence from those working in education settings on what is driving the increase in the NEET population, including changes over time around student disengagement and work readiness and the role of the curriculum.
February 2026 to March 2026YouGov – Young People and Work Report: Survey with Healthcare ProfessionalsThe Milburn Review is an investigation into the causes of record unemployment and inactivity among 16 to 24 year olds. This research will enable the review to more fully consider evidence around healthcare professionals’ views on what is driving the increase in the NEET population who report health conditions as a barrier to looking for, or starting work or training.
February 2026Ipsos – Young People and Work Report: Rapid Attitudinal Polling ResearchThe Milburn Review is an investigation into the causes of record unemployment and inactivity among 16 to 24 year olds. This research will provide a ‘temperature check’ of current public attitudes towards the topic of NEETs and awareness of current government youth policy. Ipsos will gather views across the general population which will be used to support the interim Milburn review, which will be a diagnostic of the current landscape.
January 2026 to April 2026 NatCen – Get Britain Working Trailblazer EvaluationYou may be contacted to take part in this research. The aim of the research is to understand participants early experiences, including how they were referred, the support they received, and the impact on their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
January 2026 to March 2026Verian – Pension Credit MailshotYou may be contacted to take part in research. The aim is to explore how participants understood and responded to a recent letter around Pension Credit.
April 2026 to June 2026 NatCen (and Criteria) – PIP Application: Behavioural Insights Study You may be contacted to take part in research exploring face-to-face health assessments. You do not need to be familiar with PIP to take part.
January 2026 to February 2026Ipsos – Experiences and circumstances of Move to Universal Credit customers who were not expected to work when claiming Universal CreditYou may be contacted to take part in research. The aim is to learn more about the experience and circumstances of participants who were not expected to work when moving to Universal Credit from legacy benefits. And, if at all, any changes in participants’ circumstances since claiming Universal Credit.
January 2026 to February 2026 NatCen – Work Aspirations focus on young peopleYou may be contacted to take part in research. The aim is to understand the aspirations, barriers and support needs of participants.
December 2025 to March 2026YouGov – Lived Experiences of Adequacy in RetirementYou may be contacted to take part in research. The aim is to learn more about participants’ retirement and what an adequate retirement means to them.
December 2025 to March 2026IFF – Pension Decumulation and Decision MakingYou may be contacted to take part in research. The aim is to understand how participants make decisions when accessing their defined contribution pension.
November 2025 to February 2026IPSOS UC Childcare SurveyYou may be contacted to take part in this research. It is a survey of 10,000 Universal Credit parents. The aim is to understand the reasons behind childcare and employment decisions, alongside their use of childcare offers across government.
October 2025 to September 2026 NatCen – English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) You may be contacted to take part in research. The aim is to understand different circumstances in the English population aged 50 and older.
April 2025 to July 2026 Institute for Employment Studies and National Learning and Work Institute, Jobs Plus Evaluation Pilot You may be contacted to take part in research. The aim is to understand participants’ experience of Jobs Plus employment support.
April to October 2025Ipsos UK – IPSPC (Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care)You may be contacted to take part in research. The aim is to assess the impact of this programme on employment outcomes, health and wellbeing.
April 2025 to April 2026 IFF Research – Understanding Progression Pathways You may be contacted to take part in research. The aim is to understand what career progression pathways look like for low paid employees and people on Universal Credit in specific sectors.
April 2026 to March 2027 ONS/NatCen/NISRA – Family Resources Survey (FRS) You may be contacted to take part in a survey. The aim of the research is to find out about participants’ living standards and circumstances, to help government develop and monitor policies. You can find more information here: Family Resources Survey: information for people taking part – GOV.UK
April 2025 to May 2027 IFF Research – Local Support Employment Evaluation You may by contacted by IFF Research to take part in an interview. The aim of the research is to find out about participants’ experiences of receiving support from Local Authorities through the Local Supported Employment (LSE) programme.
April 2025 to August 2029 Opinion Research Services Ltd – Functional Assessment Service Customer Satisfaction Survey You may by contacted to take part in a 15-minute survey. The aim of the research is to find out about participants’ experiences with the Health Assessment Advisory Service.
April 2025 to May 2026 IFF Research – WorkWell You may be contacted by IFF research via phone or email to take part in a survey or interview. The aim of the research is to understand participants experience of WorkWell. To help look at the effects of WorkWell, we are also asking for the experiences of work and health more generally in a selected group of individuals in non-WorkWell areas. Your views will help improve these services in the future.
May 2025 to July 2025IFF Research – DWP Survey of Employees and the Self-employedYou may be contacted via phone or email to take part in a follow-up interview if you participated in this survey. The aim of this research is to improve our understanding of how people manage their health and wellbeing at work and how they are supported in doing this.
May 2025 to September 2025Verian – Pension Credit JourneysYou may be contacted to take part in research. The aim is to understand experiences around Pension Credit and support future take-up of the benefit.
June 2025 to September 2025IFF – Debt Management Composition and PerceptionsYou may be contacted to take part in a survey or interview. The aim is to understand the composition and support needs of people with a benefit overpayment, as well as their experiences of interacting with Debt Management.
July 2025 to July 2026 Verian – Monitoring the Impact of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) You may be contacted to take part in the research. The aim is to better understand the impact of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates on households in receipt of housing support and landlords.
July 2025 to September 2025 NatCen – Journeys to Access to WorkYou may be contacted to take part in an interview. The aim of the research is to understand recipients’ pre-application knowledge of Access to Work.
October 2025 to September 2027 IFF – Restart Customer Satisfaction You may by contacted by IFF Research to take part in a survey. The aim of the research is to gain insight into the overall satisfaction levels of customers on the Restart Scheme.
July 2025 to January 2026IFF – Experiences of UC Work Search Review MeetingsYou may be contacted to take part in interviews or a survey. The aim of the research is to evaluate the effectiveness of Work Search Review meetings for people in Intensive Work Search.
August 2025 to December 2025 IES – Experiences of self-employed Universal Credit customers earning below their Minimum Income FloorYou may be contacted by Institute for Employment Studies to take part in an interview. The aim of this research is to understand participants’ reasons for staying self-employed despite persistently earning below their Minimum Income Floor.
October 2025 to March 2026Verian – Understanding Carer’s AllowanceYou may be contacted to take part in research. The aim is to understand how claimants think about Carer’s Allowance.

Updates to this page

Published 7 April 2025
Last updated 217 JulyJune 2026 — Show all updates

  1. Updated table to show current DWP research in the field to be undertaken by external organisations from June 2026.

  2. Updating Welsh

  3. Updated list of fieldwork with 2 new projects: Verian – Phase 1 Jobs Guarantee Process Evaluation (June 2026 to November 2026) and Ipsos – How Move to Universal Credit Customers Engage with the Labour Market once on Universal Credit ( June 2026 to September 2026).

  4. Updated list of fieldwork with a new project, date changes to live projects, and the removal of a closed project.

  5. Added new fieldwork. Updated some dates and descriptions of previously listed fieldwork.

  6. Updated table to show current DWP research in the field undertaken by external organisations.

  7. Updated table to show current DWP research in the field undertaken by external organisations.

  8. Updated list of fieldwork with a new project, date changes to live projects, and the removal of a closed project.

  9. Updated table to show current DWP research in the field to be undertaken by external organisations from January 2026.

  10. Added translation

  11. Updated list with Ipsos project: Experiences and circumstances of Move to Universal Credit customers who were not expected to work when claiming Universal Credit

  12. Date of 'Ipsos UK – Managing a Universal Credit Claim' updated to 'August 2025 to December 2025'.

  13. Updated table to show current DWP research in the field undertaken by external organisations.

  14. Published an updated list of live research currently being undertaken by research organisations for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

  15. Updated the description for the entry 'April 2025 to May 2026 - IFF Research WorkWell'. Updated dates for 'IFF - Restart Customer Satisfaction'.

  16. Updated contractor and title for April 2025 to August 2029 entry. Added new research entries for Institute for Employment Service (IES) from August to October 2025 and Verian for September to October 2025.

  17. Verian-Pension Credit Journeys dates updated. Need research added to the table from August to October 2025.

  18. Updated table to show current DWP research in the field undertaken by external organisations.

  19. 'Verian - Monitoring the Impact of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA)', 'NatCen – Journeys to Access to Work', 'IFF – Restart Customer Satisfaction', and 'IFF – Experiences of UC Work Search Review Meetings' upcoming reports added.

  20. Research in the field June to September 2025 by IFF on Debt Management Composition and Perceptions has been added to the list.

  21. Published an updated list of current DWP research.

  22. Published an updated list of current DWP research.

  23. First published.

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Contents

Update history

2026-07-02 09:34
Updated table to show current DWP research in the field to be undertaken by external organisations from June 2026.

2026-06-17 16:05
Updating Welsh

2026-06-17 14:43
Updated list of fieldwork with 2 new projects: Verian – Phase 1 Jobs Guarantee Process Evaluation (June 2026 to November 2026) and Ipsos – How Move to Universal Credit Customers Engage with the Labour Market once on Universal Credit ( June 2026 to September 2026).

2026-05-01 09:30
Updated list of fieldwork with a new project, date changes to live projects, and the removal of a closed project.

2026-04-01 09:30
Added new fieldwork. Updated some dates and descriptions of previously listed fieldwork.

2026-03-06 11:46
Updated table to show current DWP research in the field undertaken by external organisations.

2026-03-02 09:30
Updated table to show current DWP research in the field undertaken by external organisations.

2026-01-30 14:20
Updated list of fieldwork with a new project, date changes to live projects, and the removal of a closed project.

2026-01-05 09:15
Updated table to show current DWP research in the field to be undertaken by external organisations from January 2026.

2025-12-22 09:46
Added translation

2025-12-19 14:24
Updated list with Ipsos project: Experiences and circumstances of Move to Universal Credit customers who were not expected to work when claiming Universal Credit

2025-12-15 16:00
Date of ‘Ipsos UK – Managing a Universal Credit Claim’ updated to ‘August 2025 to December 2025’.

2025-12-01 09:30
Updated table to show current DWP research in the field undertaken by external organisations.

2025-10-31 09:30
Published an updated list of live research currently being undertaken by research organisations for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

2025-09-30 15:49
Updated the description for the entry ‘April 2025 to May 2026 – IFF Research WorkWell’. Updated dates for ‘IFF – Restart Customer Satisfaction’.

2025-08-31 09:30
Updated contractor and title for April 2025 to August 2029 entry. Added new research entries for Institute for Employment Service (IES) from August to October 2025 and Verian for September to October 2025.

2025-08-12 07:43
Verian-Pension Credit Journeys dates updated. Need research added to the table from August to October 2025.

2025-07-29 15:53
Updated table to show current DWP research in the field undertaken by external organisations.

2025-06-26 09:21
‘Verian – Monitoring the Impact of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA)’, ‘NatCen – Journeys to Access to Work’, ‘IFF – Restart Customer Satisfaction’, and ‘IFF – Experiences of UC Work Search Review Meetings’ upcoming reports added.

2025-05-30 09:30
Research in the field June to September 2025 by IFF on Debt Management Composition and Perceptions has been added to the list.

2025-05-08 07:00
Published an updated list of current DWP research.

2025-05-01 09:30
Published an updated list of current DWP research.

2025-04-07 16:20
First published.