# The Nahployment 'Crisis'

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nahployment-crisis/941117
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 30, 2021, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nahployment-crisis/941117 "2021-04-30T19:07:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 61

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### Author: ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)
#### Post date: [May 2, 2021, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nahployment-crisis/941117/61 "2021-05-02T01:40:58Z")

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> [@Oredigger77](#):
>
> Will they? As a UBI proponent the most common anti argument is that people only work because they have to and if they didn’t have to they wouldn’t. I think that’s pretty true and that most people won’t strive for better if they have their basic needs met.

This isn’t true. Every UBI study I’ve seen disproves this. Here’s one of the latest from Stockton, CA.

> **[Employment Rose Among Those In Universal Basic Income Experiment In Stockton,...](https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/stockton-ubi-experiment-employment-rises/)**
>
> After receiving $500 per month for two years without rules on how to spend it, 125 people in Stockton paid off debt, got full-time jobs and reported lower rates of anxiety and depression, according to a study released Wednesday.

> [@](#):
>
> Supporters say a guaranteed income can alleviate the stress and anxiety of people living in poverty while giving them the financial security needed to find good jobs and avoid debt. But critics argue free money would eliminate the incentive to work, creating a society dependent on the state.
> 
> Tubbs, who at 26 was elected Stockton’s first Black mayor in 2016 after endorsements from Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama, wanted to put those claims to the test. Stockton was an ideal place, given its proximity to Silicon Valley and the eagerness of the state’s tech titans to fund the experiment as they grapple with how to prepare for job losses that could come with automation and artificial intelligence.  
> . . .  
> When the program started in February 2019, 28% of the people slated to get the free money had full-time jobs. One year later, 40% of those people had full-time jobs. A control group of people who did not get the money saw a 5 percentage point increase in full-time employment over that same time period.

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