{"id":9495,"date":"2020-08-19T14:01:57","date_gmt":"2020-08-19T19:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/more-americans-oppose-than-favor-the-government-providing-a-universal-basic-income-for-all-adult-citizens\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T19:23:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T00:23:07","slug":"more-americans-oppose-than-favor-the-government-providing-a-universal-basic-income-for-all-adult-citizens","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2020\/08\/19\/more-americans-oppose-than-favor-the-government-providing-a-universal-basic-income-for-all-adult-citizens\/","title":{"rendered":"More Americans oppose than favor the government providing a universal basic income for all adult citizens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A narrow majority of U.S. adults (54%) say they would oppose the federal government providing a guaranteed income \u2013 sometimes called a universal basic income (UBI) \u2013 of about $1,000 per month for all adult citizens, whether or not they work; 45% favor the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2020\/08\/19\/more-americans-oppose-than-favor-the-government-providing-a-universal-basic-income-for-all-adult-citizens\/ft_2020-08-19_ubi_01-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-16466\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eceae6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/ft_2020.08.19_ubi_01.png?resize=480,750 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/ft_2020.08.19_ubi_01.png?resize=782,1221 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/ft_2020.08.19_ubi_01.png?resize=840,1312 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"656\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/ft_2020.08.19_ubi_01.png?w=420\" alt=\"Young people favor a universal basic income by about two-to-one; much less support among older adults\" class=\"wp-image-16466 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eceae6; width:420px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The idea of the government providing a universal basic income for all adult citizens draws broad and intense opposition among Republicans, but is generally supported by Democrats, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly eight-in-ten Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (78%) oppose the federal government providing a universal basic income of about $1,000 per person, with 62% strongly opposed. A smaller share of Democrats and Democratic leaners (66%) favor a UBI, with just a third supporting the proposal strongly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UBI was the centerpiece of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang\u2019s campaign. Yang is scheduled to speak to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.demconvention.com\/schedule-and-speakers\/?_sft_event-day=august-20\">the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20<\/a>, shortly before Joe Biden accepts the party\u2019s presidential nomination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible js-react-collapsible is-style-alternate has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"how-we-did-this\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;how-we-did-this&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>How we did this<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand Americans\u2019 views of the federal government providing a guaranteed income for all adult citizens. For this analysis, we conducted an online survey of 11,001 U.S. adults between July 27 and Aug. 2, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Everyone who took part is a member of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/u-s-survey-research\/american-trends-panel\/\">ATP\u2019s methodology<\/a>. Here are <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/UBI-topline.pdf\">the questions used<\/a> for this report, along with responses, and its <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2020\/08\/06\/covid-19-restrictions-methodology\/\">methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There also are wide age, race and income differences in views of the government providing a universal basic income of about $1,000 for each adult citizen, whether or not they work. Adults under age 30 favor the government providing a UBI by roughly two-to-one (67% to 33%). There is far less support among older adults: 72% of those 65 and older oppose the proposal, while just 26% are in favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Majorities of Black (73%) and Hispanic adults (63%) favor the government providing a UBI, compared with 35% of White adults. And while the proposal draws broad opposition from adults in upper- and middle-income households, a 63% majority of those in lower-income households favor it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2020\/08\/19\/more-americans-oppose-than-favor-the-government-providing-a-universal-basic-income-for-all-adult-citizens\/ft_2020-08-19_ubi_02-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-16462\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eeeeed\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/ft_2020.08.19_ubi_02.png?resize=480,912 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/ft_2020.08.19_ubi_02.png?resize=620,1178 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"589\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/ft_2020.08.19_ubi_02.png?w=310\" alt=\"Sizable age and income differences in both parties in views of a universal basic income\" class=\"wp-image-16462 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eeeeed; width:310px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In both parties, younger adults and those with lower incomes express higher levels of support for the federal government providing a UBI for all adult citizens. While majorities of Republicans across age groups oppose the UBI proposal, 41% of Republicans ages 18 to 34 favor it, by far the highest share of any GOP age group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among Democrats, support for a UBI also is much higher among adults ages 18 to 34 than among older people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About four-in-ten Republicans in lower-income households (43%) favor the government providing a universal basic income, compared with 17% of those with middle incomes and just 8% of those with upper incomes. There are similar income differences among Democrats. Still, Democrats across income and age categories are far more likely than Republicans in those groups to favor a universal basic income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are also racial and ethnic differences in these views among Democrats, though majorities of Black (77%), Hispanic (70%) and White Democrats (61%) support the federal government providing a universal basic income for all adult citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note: Here are <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/UBI-topline.pdf\">the questions used<\/a> for this report, along with responses, and its <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2020\/08\/06\/covid-19-restrictions-methodology\/\">methodology<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>CORRECTION: (Jan. 5, 2021): In the chart \u201cYoung people favor a universal basic income by about two-to-one; much less support among older adults,\u201d the label for the total \u201cstrongly favor\u201d amount has been updated to 23% to correct a typographical error. This change did not affect the report\u2019s substantive findings.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The idea of the government providing a universal basic income draws broad opposition from Republicans but is generally supported by 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