The project brings together an established, multi-disciplinary team to achieve four key objectives with an aim of assessing the prospective impacts of Universal Basic Income (UBI) on anxiety and depression among 14-24-year-olds.
• Objective 1) extract data from the literature to create a ‘risk’ factor for anxiety and depression among 14- to 24-year-olds
• O2) deploy the RSA’s Citizen Engagement Workshops and focus groups with disabled people to advance designs for a ‘transitional UBI’ for 14- to 18-year-olds and an overall scheme aimed specifically at mental health impact (measured by anxiety and depression), while also examining how to account for additional needs
• O3) use the ‘risk’ factor from O1 to model the impact of the cash transfer schemes from O2) for 14- to 24-year-olds on anxiety and depression
• O4) design research protocols to measure impacts in different schemes using Pickett’s forthcoming cash transfer pilot for 18- to 20-year-olds as part of ActEarly in Bradford and the RSA/Scottish Government’s prospective trial in Dunfermline as practical cases around which to develop materials
This will lead to a series of publications, reports and a set of research materials that can be used to examine further health impacts of cash transfer schemes. We will seek to ‘leverage’ these to secure further funded research on the subject.