Survey of Carers - 2026
The University of Birmingham, as part of the Centre for Care, has been commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to pilot the design and delivery of a new nationally representative survey of unpaid carers in England.
Unpaid carers are people who provide support to others for a range of reasons, such as long-term illness, disability, physical and mental health, or older age. They provide most of the care to these people in England, yet no quality national data exists about who they are, what support they receive, and how caring affects their lives.
Existing surveys, such as the Survey of Adult Carers in England (SACE), only include carers known to local councils. This means many carers are missed, especially those who arrange care privately or are new to caring. Without better data, it is hard for the national government and local authorities to plan services, support carers, and make fair decisions.
The Survey of Carers team has worked with unpaid carers, stakeholders in local authorities, local and national government, and grassroots organisations and charities to co-design this new survey to ensure it accurately reflects the needs and priorities of unpaid carers.
“The launch of the Survey of Carers is an important opportunity for unpaid carers to have their voices heard. Unpaid carers make an enormous contribution to families, communities and society as a whole, but there are still significant gaps in our understanding of their experiences, needs and priorities.
We know that too many carers are missing from the information currently used to make decisions about care and support. We want to change that.
We have worked closely with unpaid carers, charities and councils to develop a survey that reflects what matters to carers and reaches people with a wide range of caring experiences. By taking part and sharing their experiences, unpaid carers can help us build the evidence needed to inform future decisions about care and support, both locally and nationally.” - Professor Matt Bennett, Centre for Care, University of Birmingham.
The Survey of Carers opens on 14 October 2026 and will close on 14 December 2026. The team are inviting those who care to take part and share their experiences so the right support can be offered to the millions of unpaid carers across the nation. All answers are completely confidential, and nothing identifiable will be published in any findings or reports.