Bureaucratic Justice in Universal Credit

Universal Credit (UC) claimants must continually engage with processes managed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Assessing whether these processes are just requires understanding the specific process qualities that shape claimants' perceptions of bureaucratic justice within the UC system. Our research, based on a quantitative survey of 1,514 UC claimants conducted in collaboration with YouGov, and supplemented by 50 qualitative interviews with claimants, welfare rights advisors, and DWP officials, proposes a new five-part model identifying the key process qualities influencing claimants' perceptions of bureaucratic justice.