The UK government has been urged redesign the social security system so that it "treats everyone with dignity and respect".
Research carried out by the University of York in partnership with the Ulster University, found that radical changes to Universal Credit are needed to help families facing further hardship as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Researchers worked with people claiming Universal Credit (UC) in Northern Ireland in a bid to fully understand their experiences.
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The report, which was funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, has also called on the UK government to pay UC "at a level that enables people to meet their living costs, including housing" and has also urged an end of the five-week wait for a first UC payment in a bid to stop UC triggering debt.
The report - 'Lived experience can help Universal Credit in Northern Ireland be a genuine lifeline ' - also wants the process of initiating and managing a UC claim more user-friendly and has called for staff delivering UC to be "well trained, and that recipients have access to independent advice".
Dr Mark Simpson, from Ulster University's School of Law, who is also a co-author of the report, said the team found that life on UC is "still a struggle for many and the research suggests a number of improvements".
"Northern Ireland has shown genuine leadership in how it supports people through social security, but the research recommends that given the Executive’s commitment to reviewing social security policy that officials work with recipients to understand and respond to the problems they experience," he said.
