Researchers have long wondered what would happen if we gave people cash with no strings attached. The proliferation of research on basic income programs in recent years has added to the literature that spans decades.
This tool is a resource for researchers, policymakers, and advocates to explore that body of research. The tables below summarize the key findings from dozens studies and link directly to the reports, allowing you to explore the research more deeply. The tables are arranged by topic to help ease navigation. Several studies appear in multiple tables, as the impacts of cash are broad.
This tool does not encompass the full body of research on basic income programs. For example, there is a large body of research on unconditional cash transfers in the international development context that is largely omitted from this tool. If there is a study you think should be included, suggest an addition.
Explore by Topic
Family Well-Being
Measuring how additional unrestricted cash in a household’s budget affects their economic security is perhaps the most studied question in the literature. Across dozens of studies, researchers repeatedly find improved economic security for families receiving a basic income. Many studies show families pay down debt, are able to save for an unexpected expense, and are less reliant on payday loans or check cashing programs.
Health
Research on basic income shows a wide range of health impacts. Many studies show positive impacts to people’s mental health. Several studies document improved birthweights for babies born to families receiving a basic income, as the added cash improves access to prenatal care. Basic income has also been found to help people access preventative health care.
Employment
Research on basic income shows additional unrestricted cash can support workers without negative impacts on the broader workforce. Several studies show basic incomes help workers gain new skills and training in order to secure a better-paying job. Where the research has found basic incomes reducing work hours, it is often so that people can care for a family member.
Food Security
A number of studies on basic income examine the impacts unrestricted cash can have on people’s ability to put adequate and nutritious food on the table. Broadly speaking, the research shows that additional cash in people’s household budgets improves food security and helps people eat more nutritious foods.
Housing
The cost of housing is often the largest expense in family budgets. Research into the effects of basic income finds that people tend to spend unrestricted cash to better meet their housing needs, improving overall housing stability.
Many of the studies included in this tool were found using existing literature reviews and tracking tools. For more, see:
- Madeline Neighly, Mara Heneghan, and Ebony Childs, An Examination of Cash Transfers in the U.S. and Canada, Economic Security Project, November 2022.
- Gary Tan and Sidhya Balakrishnan, Cash and Income Studies: A Literature Review of Theory and Evidence, Phenomenal World, February 2019.
- Income Movement, Community Guaranteed Basic Income Tracker.
