Saint Paul, Minnesota was the location of the first publicly-funded guaranteed basic income pilot in the US since Seattle/Denver in the 1970s. 150 people got $500/mo from Oct 2020 to March 2022).
The final results were recently published. Key observations:
⤴️Work increased
⌛️Time spent with family increased
🧑🤝🧑Social isolation decreased
🤗Participants felt a heightened sense of value
Since most people worry that basic income will make people lazy, at baseline, 49% of participants were employed compared to 63% six months after the program ended. During the same period, the number of unemployed went from 18% to 5%, and the number not in the labor force went from 17% to 9%.
Remarkably, many participants experienced a sense of "self-transcendence" as their basic income allowed them to be part of something bigger than themselves, which then led to stronger community connections as they were able to give back to their communities and spend more time with their loved ones.
On average, participants reported an improved attitude towards life and their purpose as well as increased hope for the future. Many participants also experienced a heightened sense of being valued by others.
Full report link:
static1.squarespace.com/stat…