1
People save more money
From the start of the basic income payments, the basic income group consistently saved higher amounts each month than the control group. They also reported that their wealth increased over the three years of the study.
2
Willingness to donate increases in the long term
The recipients of the basic income in the study also used the money to support others – primarily through higher donations. Remarkably, even after the payments ended, the basic income group continued to donate significantly more than the control group.
3
Financial resources are shared
Not only did donations increase, but so did direct financial support: the basic income group shared more money with friends and family.
4
Increased altruism
Over the course of three years, the behaviour of the basic income group changed noticeably, but their values and convictions change very little. There was, however, one exception: their self-evaluation of their own altruism. This value was rated consistently higher than in the control group.
In social psychology, altruism is defined as actions taken to benefit others, with no expectation of personal reward.
This fits with the behavioural changes mentioned earlier: the basic income group donated more and shared financial resources with others more often.
5
Spending habits
The Basic Income Pilot Project also investigated whether the spending habits of the participants changed. The results show that people with a basic income consumed slightly more than the control group – especially at the beginning of the study period. Over time, however, a habituation effect set in and consumption decreased.
The observed increase in spending can be attributed to participants in the basic income group adjusting to the higher income bracket they fell into as a result of receiving the basic income. People whose earned income match the total income of the basic income group (i.e., earned income plus basic income) do not spend less than those in our study.