Some Britons consider the basic income experiment unfair, others have a more positive attitude.
The basic income experiment divides people’s opinions in Britain. Illustration picture. Mostphotos
A basic income experiment is going to be started in Britain. Thirty people participating in the experiment will be paid 1,600 pounds, or about 1,860 euros, a monthly free basic income for two years.
The newspaper reporting on the matter of the Guardian according to the experiment, the purpose is to find out how it affects the mental and physical well-being of the participants. The number of participants in the pilot program is small. They have been selected from two locations: Jarrow in North East England and East Finchley in North London.
Although only a small group of people participate in the experiment, some people have expressed their dissatisfaction. British media The Daily Mail according to some Brits have criticized the “unfair system” which “encourages people not to go to work”. In its story, the newspaper has quoted citizens who criticized the experiment.
– Pensioners like me worked all our lives on £205 a week. Someone is going to get paid almost twice as much as me. Hard work is not worth it, says one critical voice.
– I have a huge problem with this basic income experiment. Millions of people work 40 hours a week and earn less, says another, according to British media.
Former director of Pimlico Plumberg Charlie Mullins on the other hand, considers it “absolutely ridiculous” that people are given 1,600 pounds a month without having to work.
The results are interesting
There is even a more positive attitude in the island nation. One person says that he is interested in the results of the experiment, and another believes that it will “certainly make people happier”.
– Basic income has the potential to simplify the welfare system and fight poverty in Britain, says the founder of Basic Income Conversation Cleo Goodman.
According to British media, the price tag for the experiment will be around 1.6 million pounds. The experiment will also follow people who are not paid anything by the state.
Basic income experiments have been done before in other countries as well, for example in Finland, the Netherlands and Canada. Telegraph magazine in his own article about the basic income experiment, he cites the experiment organized in Finland in 2017–2018 as the “most well-known” example.
At that time, the National Pension Institute (Kela) paid 2,000 unemployed persons aged 25–58 a basic income of 560 euros for two years. In its story about the Finnish experiment, Brittilehti highlighted that the people who participated in it reported that the basic income improved their financial security and mental well-being.
– But there was only a small positive change in employment and Kela warned that it could also be a result of other political reforms, Telegraph summarized the experiment conducted by Finland.
