Michael Tubbs, the Democratic former mayor of Stockton, Calif., discussed the results of the universal basic income experiment that he led in his city beginning in 2019, saying the preconceived notions that critics had of extra guaranteed income were wrong.
Appearing on Hill.TV’s “Rising,” Tubbs said his experiment showed that people who received an extra $500 a month were not less incentivized to work, despite what critics of the plan said, and instead were able to leave tough situations and find better work with improved benefits.
“$500 was enough to allow people to exit exploitative jobs, exploitative relationships and find full-time work when stable hours with benefits. [It] allowed people to pay for things like transportation and childcare and interview clothes, which makes them more likely to find full-time employment.”
According to Tubbs, people with guaranteed income were two times more likely to be employed.
“We also saw just the health impacts and effects. Medicine is important for sure but if you look at the data on the [Kessler Psychological Distress Scale], the way that people who received the guaranteed income declined in stress levels and declined in depression are comparable to clinical trials of Prozac,” Tubbs added.
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