The mental health effects of a Universal Basic Income: A synthesis of the evidence from previous pilots

Wilson, Naomi; McDaid, Shari

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114374

Cited by 40 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This observation supports the implementation and examination of effects of anti-poverty programs including Universal Basic Income (UBI) ( 59 ). A study on the effects of basic income provided by cash payments in Finland reported significant improvements in mental wellbeing; mediating factors were associated with a reduction in perceived stigma, more time with family and friends, and a new sense of hope for the future ( 60 ). Interestingly, improvements for children were amplified when the payments were given early during their individual development ( 60 ).…”

Section: Discussion: Future Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study on the effects of basic income provided by cash payments in Finland reported significant improvements in mental wellbeing; mediating factors were associated with a reduction in perceived stigma, more time with family and friends, and a new sense of hope for the future ( 60 ). Interestingly, improvements for children were amplified when the payments were given early during their individual development ( 60 ). Nevertheless, it should be considered that UBI might also be discriminating toward people with different needs and thus higher living expenses, for example for people with chronic diseases and higher health expenditures.…”

Section: Discussion: Future Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Perspectives in poverty and mental health

Marbin

Gutwinski

Schreiter

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In recent years, different forms of poverty and their interaction with mental illness have been in the focus of research, although the implementation of action in mental health care and policy making so far is scarce. This perspective article offers different perspectives of poverty and its reciprocal association with mental illness and outlines possible future research and policy implications. We will approach the topic of poverty from various levels: On a micro-level, focusing on absolute poverty with precarious housing and malnutrition. On a meso-level, on neighborhood-related poverty as a factor in individuals' mental illness. On a macro-level, on effects of income inequality on mental health. In several studies, it has been shown that on each level, poverty has a profound impact on mental health, though it must be noted that in some fields, research is still scarce. In the future, an inter- and transdisciplinary approach is of considerable importance, since poverty and its impact on mental health should be addressed from different perspectives, reaching from targeted programs for individual groups (e.g., homeless people) up to national policy measures.

show abstract

Section: Discussion: Future Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussion: Future Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspectives in poverty and mental health

Marbin

Gutwinski

Schreiter

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Corroborating evidence from other pilots paints an encouraging picture: one recent review of 15 UBIpilots found consistent positive mental health impacts (Wilson & McDaid, 2021), including improved cognitive functioning and reduced stress (Kela, 2020) as well as greater life satisfaction and lower self-reported mental illness (Kirchner et al, 2019). Elsewhere randomized control trials of one-off unconditional cash transfers have shown boosts to a range of psychological health measures one year later (Haushofer et al, 2020).…”

Section: Perceptions Of Ubi For Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 98%

Public perceptions of the effectiveness of income provision on reducing psychological distress

Bridger¹,

Nettle²

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background. Despite increasing recognition that clinical interventions are insufficient to improve mental health without corresponding emphasis on population mental health, few studies have compared public perspectives on population and clinical interventions.Aims. We begin to address this here by examining views of one intervention that holds considerable promise for improving population mental health: provision of basic income as implemented by universal or unconditional basic income (UBI) schemes.Methods. 622 participants rated the effectiveness of ensuring access to medication, psychotherapy, and income for reducing psychological distress. We manipulated whether participants were asked to rate effectiveness for an individual vs. the population and we asked participants to indicate their support for UBI either before or after making such ratings.Results. We find that income was rated as effective as psychotherapy for improving an individual’s distress and as most effective at reducing distress in the population. Participants who rated their support for UBI after giving these ratings had significantly higher support than those who answered this question before.Conclusions. These data reveal the mental health benefits of a traditionally economic instrument to be intuitive to participants in this sample, especially when viewed as population-level intervention.

show abstract

“…There are theoretical reasons therefore to expect that universal provision of income could have a positive impact on population mental health and existing pilot data are encouraging in this respect (Gibson et al , 2020; Wilson and McDaid, 2021). The focus of the current work is not on establishing the potential effect of BI schemes on mental health, but on an adjacent yet important question: is the value of income for supporting mental health something that the lay populace recognizes and believes to be true?…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Public perceptions of the effectiveness of income provision on reducing psychological distress

Bridger

Nettle²

2022

JPMH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand public perceptions of the role of income for improving mental health, since public perceptions shape political decision-making. Socioeconomic determinants such as poverty cause a great deal of mental ill-health, yet it is not clear whether the general public believes this to be true. Lay understandings of health often overemphasize the roles of individual habits and medical treatments and underappreciate the importance of socioeconomic determinants. Design/methodology/approach UK adults (n = 622) rated effectiveness of three interventions for reducing psychological distress: medication, psychotherapy, and providing sufficient income to cover necessities via a basic income. We manipulated whether participants rated effectiveness for an identified individual vs. the population in general. Participants also indicated their support for the introduction of the basic income scheme. Findings Increasing income was rated highly effective for reducing psychological distress. Effectiveness ratings for income provision were as high as those for psychotherapy, and higher than those for medication. There was also an interaction with framing: in the population framing, income provision was rated more effective than either of the other two interventions. There were high levels of support for introducing a universal basic income scheme in this population. Originality/value UK adults anticipate that income provision would be highly effective at reducing psychological distress, as or more effective than increasing access to psychotherapy or medication. Policymakers can assume that the public will be receptive to arguments for mental health interventions that tackle broader socioeconomic determinants, especially when these are framed in population terms.

show abstract

The mental health effects of a Universal Basic Income: A synthesis of the evidence from previous pilots

Cited by 40 publications

References 41 publications

Perspectives in poverty and mental health

Perspectives in poverty and mental health

Public perceptions of the effectiveness of income provision on reducing psychological distress

Public perceptions of the effectiveness of income provision on reducing psychological distress

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About