Finland’s test of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) was flawed in some respects, especially as it was only given to those who were unemployed when it began, but it appears to have had moderately positive results — with higher employment and improved well-being among the recipients. Also notable was that this effect was greater among people who were not native speakers of either of the two major languages in use in Finland.

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By Donna Lu

The world’s most robust study of universal basic income has concluded that it boosts recipients’ mental and financial well-being, as well as modestly improving employment.

Finland ran a two-year universal basic income study in 2017 and 2018, during which the government gave 2000 unemployed people aged between 25 and 58 monthly payments with no strings attached.