Public opinion on basic income: Mapping European support for a radical alternative for welfare provision

Abstract

The idea of a universal basic income (BI) is both radical and simple. Obtaining a sufficient citizenship-based income without work obligations is fundamentally opposing the foundations of the welfare systems that are in place nowadays. As BI has gained increasing attention in public debates and among policymakers, questions arise about its social legitimacy. This study is the first to analyse a broad range of explanatory individual and contextual factors that may affect popular support for BI. In addition, we study how BI support is related to support of current welfare provisions, to analyse how radically different people perceive a BI to be. We use a unique survey question – available for 23 European countries, from the recent release of the European Social Survey (2016) –that introduces BI with an extended definition, emphasizing its universal and unconditional character and that it will replace other benefits and services and is paid for by taxes. Results show relatively high, but varying levels of support among European countries and social groups. People who are in a more vulnerable socio-economic position support BI more, as well as political left-wingers, egalitarianists and people who support targeting benefits at the poor. Also, a BI is more supported in countries with higher levels of material deprivation. This pattern of relations on both the individual and contextual levels seems to suggest that it is not the universal character or its unconditionality that makes a BI so attractive to a large share of the European population, but the fact that it provides (poor) people with a guaranteed minimum income. We also find that people who support other welfare reforms are more supportive of a BI. This, and the fact that younger people are more pro-BI might give hope to BI advocates who present the proposal as a social system of the future.

An unconditional basic income? How Dutch citizens justify their opinions about a basic income and work conditionality

“…Although respondents often mentioned that providing every citizen with a basic income would be unaffordable or unnecessary, many nevertheless expressed enthusiasm for this feature. This is in line with Roosma and van Oorschot (2019), who concluded that people are likely to support a UBI because it provides income protection for the poor. In our interviews, we find two lines of reasoning that substantiate this claim.…”

“…The lines of argument in favour of a "basic" level of income can explain the high level of support for a UBI in some of the surveys mentioned above. Respondents might simply respond to the "basic" in basic income, making a decent standard of living possible, and give less importance toor remain unaware ofthe aspects of unconditionality and universalism (see also Roosma & van Oorschot, 2019).…”

An Analysis of the Factors Influencing Public Attitudes toward Implementing Basic Income (BI) from an Individual Perspective: A Case Study of Hokuriku Region, Japan

“…He found that countries with relatively weak social welfare systems are likely to be more favorable toward BI. Similarly, using the same data source, the study conducted by Roosma and van Oorschot [8] identified that BI is more supported among people in a weak social-economic position, or in countries with higher levels of material deprivation. Andersson and Kangas [9] investigated public attitudes toward BI from an individual perspective in the Scandinavian context by conducting a phone survey of 1000 people aged between 15 and 80 years old in Finland, and 1000 people above 16 years old in Sweden.…”

Speaking to those who know it best: Does participation in an experiment explain citizens’ attitudes to basic income?

“…Previous studies have shown that there are several potential explanatory factors for the support for BI. These factors include macro-level variables like the extent of existing welfare policies and safety nets, and the level and coverage of existing social protection schemes (Roosma & Van Oorschot, 2020). Other potential macro-level factors include those that have successfully explained opinions on other social policy alternatives.…”

“…Previous studies have been able to provide a more detailed picture of the factors that explain citizens' attitudes towards BIwhether they are related to demographics, socioeconomic factors, people's attitudes, discourses, media frames or political rhetoric (eg. Andersson & Kangas, 2005;Halmetoja et al 2019;Lee, 2018;Roosma & Van Oorschot, 2020;Stadelmann-Steffen & Dermont, 2019). These studies have increased our understanding of the origins of the support for BI, and of the ability of this support to lead to collective decisions.…”