Table 1.
Baseline characteristics in the year before Universal Credit was introduced, unweighted (n=22 896)
| Intervention group | Comparison group | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Health Questionnaire-12 | |||
| Psychological distress | 453 (35·8%) | 3800 (17·6%) | .. |
| No psychological distress | 814 (64·2%) | 17 829 (82·4%) | <0·0001 |
| Country of residence | |||
| England | 1097 (86·6%) | 18 679 (86·4%) | .. |
| Wales | 81 (6·4%) | 1272 (5·9%) | .. |
| Scotland | 89 (7·0%) | 1678 (7·8%) | 0·503 |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 620 (48·9%) | 9456 (43·7%) | .. |
| Female | 647 (51·1%) | 12 173 (56·3%) | <0·0001 |
| Age, years | |||
| 16–24 | 367 (29·0%) | 3903 (18·0%) | .. |
| 25–34 | 272 (21·5%) | 3870 (17·9%) | .. |
| 35–44 | 223 (17·6%) | 4680 (21·6%) | .. |
| 45–54 | 240 (18·9%) | 5069 (23·4%) | .. |
| 55–64 | 165 (13·0%) | 4107 (19·0%) | <0·0001 |
| Education level attained | |||
| Degree or higher | 340 (26·8%) | 8943 (41·3%) | .. |
| GCSE, A levels, or equivalent | 583 (46·0%) | 9327 (43·1%) | .. |
| Below GCSE or other | 344 (27·2%) | 3359 (15·5%) | <0·0001 |
| Marital status | |||
| Unmarried | 918 (72·5%) | 10 752 (49·7%) | .. |
| Married or in a civil partnership | 349 (27·5%) | 10 877 (50·3%) | <0·0001 |
Data are n (%). We defined clinically significant psychological distress as a score of greater than 3 on the General Health Questionnaire-12.