--- title: "Study: Two-Year Basic Income Pilot Led to “More Satisfied” Lives" description: "According to a new study, the first-ever government-backed universal basic income experiment in Finland led to recipients being \"more satisfied.\"" date: "2020-05-07" modified: "2020-05-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/study-basic-income-satisfied-lives" categories: - "Finance" - "Future Society" - "Universal Basic Income" tags: - "basic income" - "the digest" - "UBI" - "universal basic income" --- # Study: Two-Year Basic Income Pilot Led to “More Satisfied” Lives ![According to a new study, the first-ever government-backed universal basic income experiment in Finland led to recipients being "more satisfied."]() *\Image: Image via Pxhere/Victor Tangermann\* ## More Satisfied According to a [new study]() by researchers at Helsinki University in Finland, the first-ever government-backed universal basic income experiment in the nation led to recipients being "more satisfied with their lives," [*The Guardian* reports](). The scheme, which ran in 2017 and 2018, involved paying out a regular monthly income of 560 euros — equivalent to just over $600 today — to 2,000 randomly-selected unemployed people in Finland. The goal was to find out if they were more willing to look for work while having a baseline income. ## General Trend The new study includes 81 interviews with participants of the experiment. While results varied, the general trend pointed towards less mental strain, depression, sadness and loneliness, when compared to a control group that didn't receive a basic income. While the study also concluded that participants had "more positive perception of their economic welfare," experts [found last year]() that the economic results from the experiment were "disappointing," deeming any effects on the labor market "negligible." ## More Than Ever The topic of a universal basic income is now more relevant than ever, with tens of millions of people in the US alone filing for unemployment amid a global pandemic that's causing economies to implode and entire industries to collapse. Even Pope Francis [recently opined]() that "this may be the time to consider a universal basic wage which would acknowledge and dignify the noble, essential tasks you carry out." **READ MORE:** [Finnish basic income pilot improved wellbeing, study finds]() \[*The Guardian*\] **More on UBI:** *[The Pope Just Endorsed Universal Basic Income]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()