Work, Savings & Incentives

Evaluation of Saving Gateway 2, for HM Treasury, DfES and HM Revenue and Customs

The Saving Gateway is a government initiative aimed at encouraging savings behaviour among people who do not usually save. Each pound placed into a Saving Gateway account is matched by the government at a certain rate and up to a monthly contribution limit.

An initial pilot of the Saving Gateway — SG1 — has already been conducted and evaluated. In the December 2004 Pre-Budget Report, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a new, larger scale, pilot of the Saving Gateway — SG2. Almost 21,500 individuals have opened SG2 accounts across six areas of England. The design of these accounts — in terms of the match rate and monthly contribution limit — varies across these areas. Alongside the financial incentive to place funds in a SG2 account, the pilots also offer financial education.

Ipsos MORI is conducting this evaluation in partnership with the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). The aim is to measure the extent to which the policy leads to new savers and savings. Each wave of research comprises:

• 11,000 interviews with SG account holder and members of the control group;
• 125 in-depth interviews with account holders, account providers and providers of the financial education; and
• Analysis of transaction data for all SG accounts.

An interim evaluation report was published in July 2006 and a final report is due to be published in 2007.

Routes into Incapacity Benefit, for DWP

This study aims to explore claimants' routes onto Incapacity Benefit (IB) and involves a major survey of recent IB claimants.

The interviews collect information on the nature and phasing of claimants' IB entry route, including changes in their health and employment. In addition, it examines the extent to which advice had been received from key players — such as employers, GPs and other health professionals, and family and friends — during claimants' pathways onto IB.

Ipsos MORI is conducting this evaluation in partnership with the Department of Social Policy and Social Work at University of Oxford and Social Policy Research Unit at University of York.