What Determines Public Attitudes Towards a Basic Income Scheme in Europe?

This study investigates the determinants of public support for a universal basic income (UBI), using the European Social Survey Round 8 (2016), which is a cross-national survey that asked respondents for the first time whether or not they support a UBI scheme with its specific definition provided. Following the welfare state literature, self-interest and ideology arguments predicting welfare attitudes are employed. In particular, the article focuses on three sets of ideological factors: basic human values relevant to welfare state policies, social ideologies associated with economic disparities, and attitudes towards social benefits and services. The presented evidence shows that young, leftist, and economically vulnerable people who are unemployed or low-income earners are more supportive of UBI. Regarding the predictors of the values and beliefs, those who are in favor of enhancing equality in a broad sense are more likely to support UBI, whereas those who support economic individualism and worry about a lack of work ethic and economic burden imposed by welfare state policies are less likely to support UBI, as expected. However, those who are positive about self-enhancement values and targeted welfare policies for people with the lowest incomes are unexpectedly more supportive of UBI.