ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a longitudinal perspective of take up. It focuses on when pensioners start to claim, which is most likely to do so and what events and characteristics are associated with this. The longitudinal British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) was used with ten waves of data, taking the analysis to 2001. As a panel survey the BHPS allocated a cross-wave identifier, which allows the analyst not only to place individuals within cross sectional family groups but to track him or her over time. In general terms with a longer span of time from wave one; the more likely it is that an individual reports a different Income Support/Minimum Income Guarantee status. Undercounting of Minimum Income Guarantee in surveys suggests that true engagement is higher still. Income is an obvious factor which, in large, part determined entitlement to Income Support/Minimum Income Guarantee.
