--- title: "More Americans oppose than favor the government providing a universal basic income for all adult citizens" description: "The idea of the government providing a universal basic income draws broad opposition from Republicans but is generally supported by Democrats." date: "2020-08-19" authors: - name: "Hannah Gilberstadt" job_title: "Former Research Assistant" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/hannah-gilberstadt/" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/08/19/more-americans-oppose-than-favor-the-government-providing-a-universal-basic-income-for-all-adult-citizens/" --- # More Americans oppose than favor the government providing a universal basic income for all adult citizens A narrow majority of U.S. adults (54%) say they would oppose the federal government providing a guaranteed income – sometimes called a universal basic income (UBI) – of about $1,000 per month for all adult citizens, whether or not they work; 45% favor the proposal. [![Young people favor a universal basic income by about two-to-one; much less support among older adults](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/08/ft_2020.08.19_ubi_01.png?w=420)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/08/19/more-americans-oppose-than-favor-the-government-providing-a-universal-basic-income-for-all-adult-citizens/ft_2020-08-19_ubi_01-png/) The idea of the government providing a universal basic income for all adult citizens draws broad and intense opposition among Republicans, but is generally supported by Democrats, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Nearly eight-in-ten Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (78%) oppose the federal government providing a universal basic income of about $1,000 per person, with 62% strongly opposed. A smaller share of Democrats and Democratic leaners (66%) favor a UBI, with just a third supporting the proposal strongly. UBI was the centerpiece of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s campaign. Yang is scheduled to speak to [the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20](https://www.demconvention.com/schedule-and-speakers/?_sft_event-day=august-20), shortly before Joe Biden accepts the party’s presidential nomination. Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand Americans’ views of the federal government providing a guaranteed income for all adult citizens. For this analysis, we conducted an online survey of 11,001 U.S. adults between July 27 and Aug. 2, 2020. Everyone who took part is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the [ATP’s methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/methods/u-s-survey-research/american-trends-panel/). Here are [the questions used](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/UBI-topline.pdf) for this report, along with responses, and its [methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2020/08/06/covid-19-restrictions-methodology/). There also are wide age, race and income differences in views of the government providing a universal basic income of about $1,000 for each adult citizen, whether or not they work. Adults under age 30 favor the government providing a UBI by roughly two-to-one (67% to 33%). There is far less support among older adults: 72% of those 65 and older oppose the proposal, while just 26% are in favor. Majorities of Black (73%) and Hispanic adults (63%) favor the government providing a UBI, compared with 35% of White adults. And while the proposal draws broad opposition from adults in upper- and middle-income households, a 63% majority of those in lower-income households favor it. [![Sizable age and income differences in both parties in views of a universal basic income](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/08/ft_2020.08.19_ubi_02.png?w=310)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/08/19/more-americans-oppose-than-favor-the-government-providing-a-universal-basic-income-for-all-adult-citizens/ft_2020-08-19_ubi_02-png/) In both parties, younger adults and those with lower incomes express higher levels of support for the federal government providing a UBI for all adult citizens. While majorities of Republicans across age groups oppose the UBI proposal, 41% of Republicans ages 18 to 34 favor it, by far the highest share of any GOP age group. Among Democrats, support for a UBI also is much higher among adults ages 18 to 34 than among older people. About four-in-ten Republicans in lower-income households (43%) favor the government providing a universal basic income, compared with 17% of those with middle incomes and just 8% of those with upper incomes. There are similar income differences among Democrats. Still, Democrats across income and age categories are far more likely than Republicans in those groups to favor a universal basic income. There are also racial and ethnic differences in these views among Democrats, though majorities of Black (77%), Hispanic (70%) and White Democrats (61%) support the federal government providing a universal basic income for all adult citizens. *Note: Here are [the questions used](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/UBI-topline.pdf) for this report, along with responses, and its [methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2020/08/06/covid-19-restrictions-methodology/).* *CORRECTION: (Jan. 5, 2021): In the chart “Young people favor a universal basic income by about two-to-one; much less support among older adults,” the label for the total “strongly favor” amount has been updated to 23% to correct a typographical error. This change did not affect the report’s substantive findings.*