Survey Variable: Disability Limitations

In addition to the health conditions that they have, people were asked whether they are limited in their day-to-day lives by a disability or chronic health condition. We can see their answers in Figure 1 (above, using weighted data) and more than seven in ten people say that they are not limited at all. Around one in six people (17.0%) are limited a little in their daily lives, and one in ten (10.4%) are limited a lot. Thus, a sizeable minority of approaching three in ten people have their daily lives impacted on by a disability or chronic health condition, at least to a limited extent. These limitations have a material impact on people but there is also a perceptual component to their answers. Two people with the same condition might give different answers because they perceive their daily limitations in different ways. This difference might stem from differences in their emotional resilience or personality traits, or they might be related to differences in the resources and support that they have available to them. So, the people who indicate that they are limited in their daily lives, and especially those who say they are limited a lot, might be indicating an emotional or psychological vulnerability. Additionally, or alternatively, they might be indicating that they face difficulties that could be mitigated if greater resources and support were available to them.