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Does Frequency or Amount Matter? An Exploratory Analysis the Perceptions of Four Universal Basic Income Proposals

Author

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  • Leah Hamilton

    (Department of Social Work, Appalachian State University, ASU Box 32155, Boone, NC 28608, USA)

  • Mathieu Despard

    (Department of Social Work, University of North Carolina Greensboro, P.O. Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402, USA)

  • Stephen Roll

    (Social Policy Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA)

  • Dylan Bellisle

    (Project for Middle Class Renewal, University of Illinois, 504 E. Armory Avenue, Champaign, IL 61820, USA)

  • Christian Hall

    (Department of Social Work, Appalachian State University, ASU Box 32155, Boone, NC 28608, USA)

  • Allison Wright

    (Department of Social Work, Appalachian State University, ASU Box 32155, Boone, NC 28608, USA)

Abstract

Advocates for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) argue that it would provide citizens with a basic foundation for financial security, boost the economy, alleviate poverty, encourage entrepreneurship, reduce crime, and insulate the employment sector against job losses due to automation. Still, the idea lags in popularity in the United States compared to existing cash policies such as the annual Earned Income Tax Credit and one-time COVID-19 relief packages. We hypothesize that this disparity is related to predicted uses of a UBI in comparison to annual or lump sum cash programs. In this survey of 836 Americans, we explore whether predicted behavioral responses to four randomly assigned hypothetical cash transfer scenarios vary across the domains of amount and frequency. Respondents are more likely to associate monthly payments with work disincentives and lump-sum transfers with debt repayment. Implications for UBI advocates include the need to continue educating the public on the empirical associations between UBI, employment, and expenditures.

Suggested Citation

  • Leah Hamilton & Mathieu Despard & Stephen Roll & Dylan Bellisle & Christian Hall & Allison Wright, 2023. "Does Frequency or Amount Matter? An Exploratory Analysis the Perceptions of Four Universal Basic Income Proposals," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:12:y:2023:i:3:p:133-:d:1082118
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. J. Michael Collins & Amrita Kulka, 2023. "Saving by buying ahead: stockpiling in response to lump‐sum payments," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(4), pages 451-484, December.

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