A Berlin-based public charity has started a basic income experiment were for a period of three years some people get €1,200 a month for free.
They only have to answer researchers’ questions about how they’re faring with this unconditional income.
Interest in taking part in the experiment has been overwhelming. Within a week, more than 1.5 million volunteers have signalled their willingness to participate in a big study on unconditional basic income.
Officials from the Mein Grundeinkommen (My Basic Income) charity are convinced that an unconditional income for all citizens would solve many current problems. The assumption is that people get more creative and become freer and happier if they do not constantly face the pressure to earn enough money to get by.
The organizers are looking for a total of 1,500 participants, 120 of which will receive €1,200 ($1,420) per month for a period of three years.
“They don’t have to do anything for it except fill in seven online questionnaires during those three years,” says a description of the experiment on the project’s website.
The money comes from around 150,000 donors right now and is tax-free for all recipients. In the end, every participant will get €43,200, adding up to a total of €5.2 million for the project. All of this has been initiated by a Berlin-based public charity.
The debate about an unconditional basic income has been going on for years, and it’s often been marked by people’s ideological bias. The core question is what people do when they don’t have to do anything. Opponents think it is the idea of left-leaning daydreamers who want to laze about at the expense of the whole community.
