• Polling shows over two thirds of adults in Scotland (68%) who currently provide unpaid care or have provided care in the past have never identified or called themselves a carer
• Not identifying as a carer means unpaid carers could be unaware of and not receive important practical and financial support
• Around 50% of the public have provided unpaid support or care at some point in their life.

Polling of the general public by the charities supporting Carers Week found that roughly 1.5 million people in Scotland have provided unpaid care or support to an older, disabled or seriously ill relative or friend at some point during their life, but have not identified themselves or been identified as a carer.

Not having the support they need can leave unpaid carers isolated, unable to take a break from caring to look after their physical and mental health, struggling to stay in work, and falling into poverty. The polling suggests over a third of carers with experience of providing care (34%) saw their health and wellbeing suffer as a result of caring whilst almost a quarter (23%) said it had affected their job or ability to work.

People providing unpaid care often fail to identify their caring role because they see themselves primarily as a family member or friend, or because the process of taking on a caring role is very gradual as the condition of the person they care for deteriorates. Often carers are simply too busy to realise the role they are undertaking.

The research has been released to mark the start of Carers Week, a national awareness campaign which aims to recognise and acknowledge the vital contribution that unpaid carers make to society.

The polling shows that 62% of the Scottish public have provided unpaid support or care at some point in their life. It is surprising, despite this huge number of people who have been in a caring role, that only 68% of those recognised their own role as a carer.

For those who have come to recognise themselves as a carer, significant periods of time can elapse. More than a third (34%) of people took more than one year to recognise themselves as a carer and, most often, this was with the help of a family member or friend (30%). Worryingly, just 17% said that a healthcare professional identified them as a carer.   

Richard Meade, Director of Carers Scotland, said:  

“It is a tragedy that more than two-thirds of Scottish carers could be missing out on vital support because they are not identified as a carer. There are nearly 800,000 unpaid carers in Scotland, and we must do much more to ensure that they all get the support they need to meet the human and financial cost of caring.

“It is everyone’s responsibility to help identify carers and ensure they get that support. The Scottish Government must urgently begin implementation of its new National Carers Strategy as well as introduce a new dedicated National Outcome on caring to drive change across the country to improve lives for carers.

“Carers Week is an important opportunity for us to not only recognise the valuable contribution that Scotland’s carers make, but to make a commitment to do more for them. They deserve nothing less.”

Running from 5^th June to 11^th June, the charities supporting Carers Week 2023 are Carers Scotland’ Age Scotland, Carers Trust Scotland, MND Scotland, Oxfam Scotland and The Lewy Body Society. Together, they are calling for better recognition of unpaid carers across society so that they can access the vital support they need to carry out their caring role.  

-ENDS-

Media contacts

Please contact:

• Richard Meade, Director, Carers Scotland - richard.meade@carerscotland.org Tel: 07368970219

• Fiona Collie, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Carers Scotland: fiona.collie@carerscotland.org Tel: 0141 445 3070 / 07967 826238

Alternatively, speak to the Carers UK press office on 020 7378 4937 (daytime) 07305 040587 (out of hours) media@carersuk.org

Notes to Editors

About this survey: All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 4374 adults. The sample size for Scotland was 367 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 11 – 13^th April 2023.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

About Carers Week 2023

• Carers Week takes place from 5-11 June 2023 across the UK.  

• Carers Week, established by Carers UK is an annual awareness campaign which takes place recognise the vital contribution made by the UK’s 5.7 million unpaid carers.

• It is also a time of intensive local activity with hundreds of activities and events planned for carers across the UK. 

• Carers Scotland's work in organising Carers Week is supported by the Scottish Government.

• Carers Week is proud to be taking place during the Month of Community - https://www.edenprojectcommunities.com/month-of-community

• Website: www.carersweek.org

Twitter: @CarersWeek #carersweek  Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarersWeek