Adopting basic income scheme in Wales could improve health for all
A report published by Public Health Wales suggests that introducing a basic income scheme in Wales could be a catalyst for better health and wellbeing outcomes for all.
Based on international evidence, key findings of implementing such a scheme identified potential positive effects on people’s health, including:
- Increasing income security: Money worries are one of the most common triggers for anxiety and depression
- Reductions in child poverty and improvements in other childhood outcomes: Research shows that children are able to learn better at school when they have enough to eat and a stable family life
- Improved educational attainment: Children from a financially secure background are more likely to stay in education longer or return to education
- Additional money for those more likely to be in lower paid jobs such as disabled people and women from deprived areas, leading to a higher standard of living
- Greater food security and improved nutrition
- Housing quality improvements and more affordable housing options
- A decrease in hospital admissions particularly in relation to accidents, injuries and mental health conditions
- However, when schemes were stopped, the positive effects diminished and in some cases wellbeing worsened from before the scheme was implemented.
Find further information and full report here.
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