Introduction
Last year over 10,500 of you filled in our State of Caring survey. We are so grateful to every single carer who took the time to respond.
We would really like to hear your experiences of being an unpaid carer in 2026. Please fill out our survey by 11.59pm on Sunday 9 August.
We would really like to hear your experiences of being an unpaid carer in 2026. Please fill out our survey by 11.59pm on Sunday 9 August.
Every year, thousands of carers and former carers take part in our annual State of Caring survey, helping us build the most comprehensive picture of unpaid carers' lives in the UK. Your experiences matter, and by taking part you will help ensure that carers' voices are heard by policymakers, health and care services, employers and the wider public.
The findings from this year's survey will play a vital role in shaping Carers UK's campaigns, research and policy work over the coming year. At a time when decisions are being made about the future of health, social care and support for carers, it has never been more important that carers have their say. Carers’ collective experiences are a vital source of evidence not only for Carers UK, but by many other organisations including Government, local authorities, health and social care services, charities and carers groups.
We have been able to use carers’ responses to the last year's survey to contribute to the UK Government-commissioned review of adult social care in England; set out our vision for the NHS and how it can better support carers; call for a reform of Carer’s Allowance overpayments, leading to UK Government committing to reviewing thousands of overpayments cases; respond to the Government review of Personal Independence Payments; continue to campaign for paid carer's leave; submit evidence to the State Pension Review; and publish new reports and policy briefings on topics including the cost of caring and the reasons why carers end up giving up paid employment to care.
In addition, the results from last year have been discussed on national TV shows including BBC Breakfast and Good Morning Britain, reaching millions of people and helping to raise the profile of caring.
We recognise that caring affects many areas of life, including health, finances, work and wellbeing. To understand these experiences properly, we have asked a number of detailed questions and the survey may take around 30 minutes to complete.
You can skip some questions if you have limited time. If you don't get to the end of the survey, your responses will be saved and sent to us, even if you don’t finish. However, please continue with the questions as far as possible. This allows us to advocate better for carers.
The findings from this year's survey will play a vital role in shaping Carers UK's campaigns, research and policy work over the coming year. At a time when decisions are being made about the future of health, social care and support for carers, it has never been more important that carers have their say. Carers’ collective experiences are a vital source of evidence not only for Carers UK, but by many other organisations including Government, local authorities, health and social care services, charities and carers groups.
We have been able to use carers’ responses to the last year's survey to contribute to the UK Government-commissioned review of adult social care in England; set out our vision for the NHS and how it can better support carers; call for a reform of Carer’s Allowance overpayments, leading to UK Government committing to reviewing thousands of overpayments cases; respond to the Government review of Personal Independence Payments; continue to campaign for paid carer's leave; submit evidence to the State Pension Review; and publish new reports and policy briefings on topics including the cost of caring and the reasons why carers end up giving up paid employment to care.
In addition, the results from last year have been discussed on national TV shows including BBC Breakfast and Good Morning Britain, reaching millions of people and helping to raise the profile of caring.
We recognise that caring affects many areas of life, including health, finances, work and wellbeing. To understand these experiences properly, we have asked a number of detailed questions and the survey may take around 30 minutes to complete.
You can skip some questions if you have limited time. If you don't get to the end of the survey, your responses will be saved and sent to us, even if you don’t finish. However, please continue with the questions as far as possible. This allows us to advocate better for carers.
We know carers are busy and your time is valuable, so we very much appreciate everyone who takes the time to get involved. We read every response we receive and every answer helps strengthen the evidence we use to campaign for change.
Thank you for helping us continue to advocate on behalf of carers across the UK.
Thank you for helping us continue to advocate on behalf of carers across the UK.