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Wellcome Trust: Anxiety and depression in 14- to 24-year-olds

The Wellcome Trust kindly funded (grant number 223553/Z/21/Z) an initial study of the health impact of Basic Income entitled ‘Assessing the prospective impacts of Universal Basic Income on anxiety and depression among 14-24-year-olds’. The project commenced in August 2021, with a final report published with the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in October 2022 available here.

This project focused on the Wellcome Trust Mental Health Priority area of anxiety and depression among 14- to 24-year-olds. This cohort may be the most vulnerable of all young people since the Second World War. Their mental health has been affected by the Global Financial Crisis, a decade of austerity and now the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our model of impact suggests that Basic Income can mitigate those health conditions by reducing poverty, mitigating stress associated with inequality and changing behaviour to promote longer-term interests.

Our multidisciplinary team worked with the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and Compass to engage young people from Bradford via the ActEarly project and disability rights figures to design Basic Income schemes. These schemes were then used to predict impact on anxiety and depression through microsimulation modelling based on analysis of data from 10 waves of Understanding Society: the UK Household Longitudinal Study.Vitally, the project established, for the first time, universal research protocols for accurate measurement of health impact during trials of Basic Income.

Key findings:

  • Basic Income is affordable
  • Money affects mental health.
  • Basic Income is impactful as a preventive public health strategy.
  • Universal Basic Income is popular.
  • Additional needs for disabled people need to be recognised via a Basic Income Plus.
  • Trials can be evaluated much more effectively to understand health impact

Recommendations:

  • Policymakers should commit to trials of Basic Income.
  • Policymakers should explain the material health and economic benefits of Basic Income to voters using narratives tailored specifically to people’s circumstances.
  • Trials should be evaluated comprehensively and consistently.
  • More microsimulation modelling should be undertaken to cover all age groups and all major health conditions.
  • Researchers and policymakers must engage in co-production with stakeholders to determine formulation of schemes and means of funding.
  • Copyrighted evaluation measures should be brought into the public domain.