•  Jobseekers' allowance
•  Income Support
•  Housing Benefit
•  Council Tax Benefit
•  Pension Credit

•  Awareness of the type of information that needs to be reported
•  Awareness of when the information needs to be reported
•  Awareness of which benefit authority to which the information should be reported
•  Factors other than awareness that might lie behind late or non-reporting, including disregard of benefit rules or fear of interrupting benefit continuity
•  Factors that lie behind prompt reporting
•  The role of the benefit authorities in encouraging and facilitating prompt reporting and discouraging and detecting late or non-reporting

The researchers will be looking into the factors that lead some claimants to declare changes of circumstance promptly and others to delay or not to report the change at all. The study will also be exploring how benefit-administering authorities can encourage prompt reporting of changes, both through good communications with claimants and effective detection of non-reporting.

In-depth case studies will be conducted to explore issues relevant to specific types of benefit and MORI will be carrying out a national survey with a representative sample of benefit recipients.

Timing
The project got under way in March 2005 with an initial round of interviews with national stakeholder organisations which include the relevant national welfare rights and citizens' advice bodies.

The researchers aim to complete their work and produce their findings by the end of 2005.