Time Use with Basic Income: Evidence from a Large-scale Survey Experiment

What would people do if they received cash with no strings attached? I study this question through a large-scale survey experiment with 72,134 respondents in Germany. Treated participants are instructed to imagine a specific Basic Income (BI) scenario and report intentions to change their current time use with this BI. In contrast, control participants are asked to think about and report intentions given their current situation. Outcomes are intended changes to time spent on seven activity fields. I find strong effects from the amount of BI, small differential effects from the duration of BI, and no different effects from the group size of BI recipients. Across all activity fields, intended changes are decreasing in the amount of BI. Overall, the results suggest small or no effects of BI on time use.

Working Paper