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Understanding the European sentiment towards a Tax-Based Universal Basic Income

Alm Ramberg, Erik LU (2025) NEKN01 20251
Department of Economics
Abstract
The study is an empirical analysis of what drives the sentiment towards a tax-funded Universal Basic Income (UBI) implementation in 12 European countries, both on an individual and country level. The two core research questions are: How do the subjective perceptions of household income influence the sentiment towards the implementation of a basic income scheme on an individual level? and how does income inequality influence the individual and mean national sentiment towards the implementation of a basic income scheme?
The analysis is based on survey data from the round 10 European Social Survey (ESS, 2022) and Dalia Research (2017). Analysis is conducted using a blockwise regression strategy analyzing how different variables (demographic,... (More)
The study is an empirical analysis of what drives the sentiment towards a tax-funded Universal Basic Income (UBI) implementation in 12 European countries, both on an individual and country level. The two core research questions are: How do the subjective perceptions of household income influence the sentiment towards the implementation of a basic income scheme on an individual level? and how does income inequality influence the individual and mean national sentiment towards the implementation of a basic income scheme?
The analysis is based on survey data from the round 10 European Social Survey (ESS, 2022) and Dalia Research (2017). Analysis is conducted using a blockwise regression strategy analyzing how different variables (demographic, psychological, and macroeconomic) affect the attitude towards a tax-based UBI implementation. The study builds on and extends the findings of Roosma & Oorschot (2019) and Vlandas (2021) by using a newer release of the ESS survey and incorporating a macro-level analysis.
The main findings suggest that a greater subjective income strain is associated with greater support for a tax-based basic income. Contrary to theoretical expectations, income inequality is negatively associated with UBI support, a finding vanishing when adjusting for purchasing power across the countries. The effect of age on UBI support is mixed across the data sources while individuals with more egalitarian and solidarity-based values express higher support. Clearly stating that the basic income would be financed by taxation lowers the level of support, contradicting Meltzer & Richard (1981) and suggesting that individuals may suffer from “fiscal illusion”. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Alm Ramberg, Erik LU
supervisor
organization
course
NEKN01 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
UBI Universal Basic Income Rational Choice Theory Social Welfare
language
English
id
9194943
date added to LUP
2025-09-12 09:58:08
date last changed
2025-09-12 09:58:08
@misc{9194943,
  abstract     = {{The study is an empirical analysis of what drives the sentiment towards a tax-funded Universal Basic Income (UBI) implementation in 12 European countries, both on an individual and country level. The two core research questions are: How do the subjective perceptions of household income influence the sentiment towards the implementation of a basic income scheme on an individual level? and how does income inequality influence the individual and mean national sentiment towards the implementation of a basic income scheme?
The analysis is based on survey data from the round 10 European Social Survey (ESS, 2022) and Dalia Research (2017). Analysis is conducted using a blockwise regression strategy analyzing how different variables (demographic, psychological, and macroeconomic) affect the attitude towards a tax-based UBI implementation. The study builds on and extends the findings of Roosma & Oorschot (2019) and Vlandas (2021) by using a newer release of the ESS survey and incorporating a macro-level analysis.
The main findings suggest that a greater subjective income strain is associated with greater support for a tax-based basic income. Contrary to theoretical expectations, income inequality is negatively associated with UBI support, a finding vanishing when adjusting for purchasing power across the countries. The effect of age on UBI support is mixed across the data sources while individuals with more egalitarian and solidarity-based values express higher support. Clearly stating that the basic income would be financed by taxation lowers the level of support, contradicting Meltzer & Richard (1981) and suggesting that individuals may suffer from “fiscal illusion”.}},
  author       = {{Alm Ramberg, Erik}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Understanding the European sentiment towards a Tax-Based Universal Basic Income}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}