Forty-eight percent of Americans now support a universal basic income
More Americans now support a universal basic income
Forty-eight percent of Americans support a universal
basic income.
Longtime advocates say we're closer than ever to adopting
the program.
By Annie Nova Published February 26, 2018 CNBC.com
Political philosopher and economist Karl Widerquist, an
associate professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, remembers a poll from 10
years ago that showed just 12 percent of Americans approved of a universal
basic income.
That's changed — and quickly. Today, 48 percent of
Americans support it, according to a new Northeastern University/Gallup survey
of more than 3,000 U.S. adults.
"It represents an enormous increase in
support," said Widerquist, who is a well-known advocate for a universal
basic income. "It's really promising."
Proposals for universal basic income programs vary, but
the most common one is a system in which the federal government sends out
regular checks to everyone, regardless of their earnings or employment.
Pilots of such programs are underway in Finland and
Canada. In rural Kenya, a basic income is managed by nonprofit GiveDirectly.
India — with a population of more than 1.3 billion residents — is considering
establishing a universal basic income.
"People are
saying, 'Look we cannot let inequality continue to grow because the political
consequences could be a disaster.'"
-Guy Standing,
co-founder of the Basic Income Earth Network
Some projects are happening closer to the U.S.
Y Combinator Research, based in Oakland, California,
started a test of a basic income last year, and is raising funds to expand the
research project. This year in Stockton, California, Mayor Michael Tubbs's
Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration will give several dozen low-income
families $500 each month in a study of basic income. And for decades, Alaska
residents have each received around $2,000 a year from the Alaska Permanent
Fund.
These examples are an opportunity to debunk many of the
myths about a universal basic income, said Guy Standing, co-founder of the
Basic Income Earth Network. He recently spoke at the World Economic Forum in
Davos, Switzerland, on the subject.
"The claim is often made that if you give people a
basic income, they'll become lazy and stop doing work," Standing said.
"It's an insult to the human condition. Basic incomes tend to increase
people's work rather than reduce it."
That's because research has shown that a basic income can
improve people's mental and physical health, Standing said, as well as encourage
them to pursue employment for reasons more meaningful than just a need to put
food on the table.
Rising inequality, and its vast effects, have triggered a
"perfect storm" for basic income, Standing said.
"People are saying, 'Look we cannot let inequality
continue to grow, because the political consequences could be a
disaster'," Standing said, pointing to the recent rise of more
authoritarian figures.
Even amid a booming economy, wage-growth has been
sluggish. At the same time, the list of jobs robots are able to fill is growing
more impressive (and perhaps worrisome). The Northeastern University/Gallup
survey showed that three quarters of Americans believe machines will take away
more jobs than they'll generate.
"We don't need to threaten people with homelessness
and poverty to get them to work," Widerquist said. "It's capitalism
where income doesn't start at zero."
Still, the survey found that 52 percent of Americans do
not support a basic income. The idea is more popular with certain groups.
For example, 65 percent of Democrats want to see a
universal basic income, and 54 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 35
do. In comparison, just 28 percent of Republicans support universal basic
income.
"Anything that sounds like welfare gets a much more
negative reaction from Republicans," said Frank Newport, editor-in-chief
of Gallup.
Newport said he found it interesting that the public
doesn't necessarily want the government to pay for the universal basic income.
Instead, 80 percent of supporters say that the companies that benefit from
artificial intelligence should pay the higher taxes to fund a basic income.
Standing said Americans might be receiving those checks
sooner than previously thought, thanks to the realization of what could follow
if they never came.
"You can't have a free market economy if people are
constantly insecure," Standing said. "You can't expect them to be
rational."
Comments
Post a Comment