The Health Case for Basic Income

Matthew Johnson; Elliott Johnson; Kate Pickett

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-41001-7_6

The Health Case for Basic Income

Matthew Johnson^*, Elliott Johnson, Kate Pickett

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Communities and Education

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

8 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

A large body of evidence indicates the importance of upstream determinants to health. Basic Income has been suggested as an upstream intervention capable of promoting health by affecting material, biopsychosocial and behavioural determinants. Calls are emerging across the political spectrum to introduce an emergency Basic Income to address socioeconomic insecurity. However, although existing studies indicate effects on health through cash transfers, Basic Income schemes have not previously been designed specifically to promote health. In this chapter, we scope the existing literature to set out the current evidence on the role of Basic Income as a public health measure. We present a theoretical model of impact that identifies three pathways to health impact, before setting out open questions related to regularity, size of payment, needs-based supplements, personality and behaviour, conditionality and duration. These set, for the first time, a checklist of research activities required in order to maximize health impact in Basic Income programmes.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	The Palgrave International Handbook of Basic Income
Editors	Malcolm Torry
Place of Publication	Cham, Switzerland
Publisher	Palgrave Macmillan
Pages	109-130
Number of pages	22
Edition	2nd
ISBN (Electronic)	9783031410017
ISBN (Print)	9783031410000, 9783031410031
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41001-7_6
Publication status	Published - 18 Oct 2023

Publication series

Name	Exploring the Basic Income Guarantee
Publisher	Palgrave Macmillan
ISSN (Print)	2662-3803
ISSN (Electronic)	2662-3811

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 1 No Poverty
SDG 2 Zero Hunger
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
SDG 5 Gender Equality
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Keywords

Basic Income
Universal Basic Income
Social determinants of health
Health inequalities
Public policy
Welfare
social security

Research Group keywords

Common Sense Policy Expert Group

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion keywords

Gender Equality
Disability Equality
Reduced Inequalities
Marginalisation
Economic Inclusion

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-031-41001-7_6

AAM Johnson Johnson and Pickett - Health case for Basic IncomeAccepted author manuscript, 777 KB

9 Article
2 Commissioned report
2 Other contribution
1 Book
More
- 1 Editorial
- 1 Preprint

Towards a credible trial of the health effects of Universal Basic Income in Norway: research priorities identified from a concept mapping workshop
Froud, R., Grotle, M., Bay, A.-H., Pedersen, A. W., Birnbaum, S., Cantillon, B., Wispelaere, J., Gibson, M., Haagh, L., Johnson, E. A., Laín, B., Øiestad, B. E. & Underwood, M., 25 Mar 2026, (Submitted) Research Square, 12 p.
Research output: Working paper › Preprint

File
Basic Income: The Policy That Changes Everything
Johnson, M., Pickett, K., Nettle, D., Reed, H., Johnson, E. & Robson, I., 27 May 2025, Bristol: Policy Press. 160 p.
Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
Examining the relationship between income and both mental and physical health among adults in the UK: Analysis of 12 waves (2009-2022) of Understanding Society
Reed, H., Nettle, D., Parra Mujica, F., Stark, G., Wilkinson, R., Johnson, M. T. & Johnson, E. A., 6 Mar 2025, In: PLoS One. 20, 3, 29 p., e0316792.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
File
6 Citations (Scopus)

58 Downloads (Pure)

Does Universal Basic Income Improve Health?Knowledge Gaps and the Design of a Randomised Controlled Trial: Experts’ sessions on gaps and design
Johnson, E. A. (Participant)
24 Sept 2025
Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participating in a conference, workshop, ...
Popularity, feasibility and affordability, and how these relate to the assessment of evidence
Johnson, E. A. (Speaker)
23 Sept 2025
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
London Assembly Economy, Culture and Skills Committee expert panel evidence-gathering session on Universal Basic Income (UBI) in London
Johnson, E. A. (Participant)
25 Jun 2025
Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participating in a conference, workshop, ...

Basic Income: changing policy, designing trials, evaluating impact
Johnson, M. (Participant), Johnson, E. A. (Participant), Stark, G. (Participant), Reed, H. (Participant) & Nettle, D. (Participant)
Impact: Health and welfare

Cite this

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abstract = "A large body of evidence indicates the importance of upstream determinants to health. Basic Income has been suggested as an upstream intervention capable of promoting health by affecting material, biopsychosocial and behavioural determinants. Calls are emerging across the political spectrum to introduce an emergency Basic Income to address socioeconomic insecurity. However, although existing studies indicate effects on health through cash transfers, Basic Income schemes have not previously been designed specifically to promote health. In this chapter, we scope the existing literature to set out the current evidence on the role of Basic Income as a public health measure. We present a theoretical model of impact that identifies three pathways to health impact, before setting out open questions related to regularity, size of payment, needs-based supplements, personality and behaviour, conditionality and duration. These set, for the first time, a checklist of research activities required in order to maximize health impact in Basic Income programmes.",

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The Health Case for Basic Income

Abstract

Publication series

UN SDGs

Keywords

Research Group keywords

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion keywords

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Research output

Towards a credible trial of the health effects of Universal Basic Income in Norway: research priorities identified from a concept mapping workshop

Basic Income: The Policy That Changes Everything

Examining the relationship between income and both mental and physical health among adults in the UK: Analysis of 12 waves (2009-2022) of Understanding Society

Activities

Does Universal Basic Income Improve Health?Knowledge Gaps and the Design of a Randomised Controlled Trial: Experts’ sessions on gaps and design

Popularity, feasibility and affordability, and how these relate to the assessment of evidence

London Assembly Economy, Culture and Skills Committee expert panel evidence-gathering session on Universal Basic Income (UBI) in London

Impacts

Basic Income: changing policy, designing trials, evaluating impact

Cite this