The Impact of Basic Income Initiatives on Mental Health

By Beau Peters, Guest Contributor

Income and mental health are integrally tied. Severe mental health disorders are 4.5 times more prevalent among children who grew up in poverty and folks who face housing insecurity are twice as likely to have a “common mental health problem,” according to the Mental Health Foundation.

Despite this, most universal income initiatives have been limited in scope and have been focused on economic productivity, rather than well-being. Countries that have trialed UBI schemes — like the U.S. and Canada — found that UBI improved wellbeing but had little impact on economic growth.

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