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.