Does Frequency or Amount Matter? An Exploratory Analysis the Perceptions of Four Universal Basic Income Proposals

Advocates for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) argue that it would provide citizens with basic foundation financial security, boost the economy, alleviate poverty, encourage entrepreneurship, reduce crime, and insulate employment sector against job losses due to automation. Still, idea lags in popularity United States compared existing cash policies such as annual Earned Tax Credit one-time COVID-19 relief packages. We hypothesize this disparity is related predicted uses of UBI comparison or lump sum programs. In survey 836 Americans, we explore whether behavioral responses four randomly assigned hypothetical transfer scenarios vary across domains amount frequency. Respondents are more likely associate monthly payments work disincentives lump-sum transfers debt repayment. Implications advocates include need continue educating public on empirical associations between UBI, employment, expenditures.