The receipt of unconditional basic income does not contribute to the complete resignation of gainful activity – according to an experiment carried out by the German Non -Profit organization. On the other hand, people receiving basic income more often changed the workplace or undertook further education.
The basis of unconditional basic income is a fixed salary, which allows, for example, to pay rent and buying food. Unconditional means that it is granted without any additional requirements, regardless of whether a citizen is working. The property status of people covered by the program is also not important – whether they are poor or rich.
Read more: Unconditional basic income – what is it? What would be the costs of introducing it in Poland? >>>
A supporter of unconditional basic income is, among others Elon Musk. The billionaire in 2018 argued that “the introduction of basic income would be necessary over time because of the takeover of most human jobs by artificial intelligence.”
Unconditional basic income. Surprising results
Mein Grundeinkommen (My Basic Income), the Berlin Non-Profit organization, conducted another experiment on unconditional basic income. As part of the study, 122 people were observed for three years. From June 2021 to May 2024, this group received an amount of EUR 1200 (PLN 5,143) per month.
The study was attended by people from 21 to 40 years old who lived alone and earned from 1100 euros (4714 PLN) to 2600 euros (11,143 PLN) per month. These people could allocate additional money, received as part of the study, for any purpose.
The only condition was the fulfillment of the questionnaire every six months, in which researchers asked about various areas of the lives of the participants of the experiment, including the financial situation, attitude to work, mental well -being and commitment to social goals.
Until now, critics of unconditional basic income have warned that receiving it may make people less likely to work. However, the testing of Grundeinkommen proves something completely the opposite.
It turns out that receiving basic income was not the reason why people completely gave up paid activities. The participants of the study worked on average 40 hours a week and remained employed – as in the control group, which did not receive any remuneration.
– We do not find evidence that people love to do nothing – said Susann Fiedler, a professor at the University of Economics and Business in Vienna, who also participated in conducting a study.
Some differences
However, there are some differences – unlike the control group, people receiving basic income have changed jobs more often or undertook further education. Such people also talked about greater satisfaction with professional life and their income.
Study participants, despite working at the same hours as before, felt that during the day they have more time for such activities as sleeping, volunteering and spending time with loved ones.
Two million people came to participate in the study. The experiment was entirely financed by private donors.
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