University of Chicago researchers said applicants for the program reported experiencing psychological distress at five times the rate of the general population and said they planned to continue studying whether recipients of the assistance saw improvements in their mental health over the pilot program’s duration.
"We’ll really be able to see if the cash is moving the needle on psychological distress," said Schexnider. "Is it alleviating some of the mental health pressures that people are experiencing?" Mary Bogle, principal research associate at the Urban Institute, said other studies of guaranteed income programs have found that people report a reduction in mental health problems like anxiety and depression when enrolled.
Other findings from the University of Chicago report included that about 27% of survey participants said that they had not been in good physical health for more than two weeks of the month, particularly by those who were 65 years or older.