The first results from a Universal Basic Income (UBI) experiment in Stockton, California are in—and guess what? They’re already disproving one of the most popular arguments levied against UBI, which is that recipients will use the money on frivolous purchases. In Stockton, the early results show most of the 125 people in the program used the $500 they received each month for food, utility bills, and clothing. A new Associated Press story breaks down the spending: recipients spent about 40 percent of the funds on food, 24 percent on sales and merchandise, and 11 percent on utility bills. They spent the remainder on car maintenance, medical expenses, insurance, education, self-care, and even donations. Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs is hopeful the new data will help “win over” skeptics of UBI — and potentially convince lawmakers to take the program nationwide.
Stockton UBI experiment: recipients are spending money only to cover basic needs
More of Today's Solutions
Changemakers of the week: GRuB and SparkNJ
Every day on the Optimist Daily, we report on solutions from around the world. Though we love solutions big and small, the ones that ...
Read MoreThe giant beneath the waves: world’s largest coral found in the Pacific
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a world where bad news about the environment routinely outweighs good news, scientists have discovered an incredible ...
Read MoreTortoise discovered in a home in Pompeii
Almost 2000 years after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and its trapping of the city of Pompeii in time, archaeologists are still making discoveries ...
Read MoreRevel at the most detailed image of our universe yet
Here at The Optimist Daily, we have been sharing every exciting step of the James Webb Telescope’s journey, from its long-awaited launch, to when ...
Read More
