New research carried out by YouGov on behalf of Carers Week show a large increase and difference in unpaid care since COVID-19. It has never been more important that we all Make Caring Visible.
Carers Week carried out polling with YouGov to revisit how many people are caring in the UK today, the challenges they face and what the public’s worries would be if they became an unpaid carer. They also looked at public awareness of unpaid caring, whether the public thought unpaid carers were valued and whether the Government had provided sufficient support.
Awareness of unpaid carers has increased amongst those who have never had a caring role, yet the public feel unpaid caring is undervalued.
- There are an estimated 13.6 million unpaid carers in the UK today.
- Most of these unpaid carers, 9.1 million, were already caring before the coronavirus outbreak.
- A staggering 4.5 million people have started providing unpaid care since the outbreak. This represents nearly a 50%
- increase in the number of unpaid carers since the crisis began.
- An estimated 26% of the UK adult population is providing unpaid care to an older, disabled or ill relative or friend – that is equivalent to one in four adults. This is more than double the number of unpaid carers since the 2011
- Census which found that there were 6.5 million carers in the UK.
