Living on basic-income for 2 years made me ‘feel free’ says a journalist who took part in one of the world’s largest trials

Finland’s major basic-income trial was controversial, but one journalist who took part in it describes it as a liberating experience.

Finland undertook what has been described as the world’s “largest complete UBI study.” Photo: Getty Images

By Thomas Colson

When Tuomas Muraja was selected for Finland’s basic income trial in 2018, he says he felt like he was “winning the lottery.”

The freelance journalist and writer was selected for the trial, which gave 2,000 unemployed people $600 each month for two years, because he sometimes seeks unemployment benefits when he is living between grants and other income sources.

The idea of a basic income — an unconditional, regular cash payment to adult citizens — has become an increasingly popular policy proposal in recent years, and Finland’s government-backed trial was one of the world’s largest to date.

However, when the results of Finland’s trial were published last year, some commentators said the test was a failure for basic income because it did not significantly increase their chances of being in work.

However, what some of this commentary missed is that recipients did, however, report significantly greater life satisfaction, and less mental strain than those outside the…