Can guaranteed income improve health?

As more communities experiment with guaranteed income, researchers seek to understand how families' improved finances affect their wellness. A family - This article originally appeared in Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health magazine . When the Stockton, California, city government gave a group of randomly selected residents in low-income neighborhoods $500 a month for two years-no strings attached-the impact reached beyond recipients' pocketbooks. Researchers studying Stockton's pilot program found that the regular payments, begun in 2019, stabilized families' finances and spurred more full-time employment. But they also discovered that many of the 150 participants also showed improved mental health outcomes , including reduced depression and anxiety, and increased energy and emotional well-being. And researchers found that over the program's two years, participants moved from "likely having a mild mental health disorder" to "likely mental wellness" on a scale that measures psychological distress. Some recipients said they felt well enough to stop taking anti-anxiety medications.