Basic income recipients in experiment showed greater trust in institutions: survey

People who received a basic income in Finland had less economic anxiety and a greater trust in political institutions and other people than those who did not, according to a new survey.

The survey from Kela, a Finnish government social services agency, found that 39 percent of respondents who received basic income found their financial situation difficult or very difficult, compared to 49 percent of respondents who did not receive it. 

When asked how much they trust politicians and political parties, the average score on a scale from zero to 10 — with zero meaning no trust at all — the average response for people who received basic income was 4.5, compared to 4.0 for people who did not receive basic income.

Basic income recipients put their trust in other people at an average rating of 6.8 on the scale, whereas the average score among people who did not receive basic income was 6.3.

The responses were the results of an experiment in which 2,000 randomly selected unemployed people were given 560 euros each month tax-free between Jan. 1, 2017, and Dec. 31, 2018. The phone interview response rate was 23 percent, with 31 percent of people who received the monthly payments responding compared to 20 percent of the control group. 

The experiment, started by Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, was done to study how the country’s social security system could be improved. 

Some U.S. politicians have also proposed a basic income system, saying it will lessen economic anxiety, including entrepreneur Andrew Yang, who is running for the 2020 Democratic nomination.