Hostname: page-component-5db58dd55d-pjp64 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-06-08T12:11:05.987Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

People’s Contrasting Attitudes Towards Universal Basic Income in Sweden and South Korea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2024

Jae-jin Yang ,
Yonhyok Choe  and
Yunmin Nam Open the ORCID record for Yunmin Nam [Opens in a new window]
Jae-jin Yang
Affiliation:
Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
Yonhyok Choe
Affiliation:
Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
Yunmin Nam*
Affiliation:
Kongju National University, Gongju, Korea
*
Corresponding author: Yunmin Nam; Email: yunmin.nam@kongju.ac.kr
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The discourse on universal basic income varies widely across countries. In Sweden, public opinion is generally negative even in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it is barely discussed on the public policy table. On the other hand, in South Korea, public opinion is not as negative as in Sweden, and basic income is actively raised as policy agenda. Our study based on survey results reaffirmed the contrasting attitudes of the Swedish and Suth Korean people regarding basic income and related tax increase. The basic income could appeal to the people in South Korea. On the contrary, there is little room for the introduction of basic income in Sweden. The analysis also revealed similarities within the difference. Those with high income, political-right orientation, high protection against income loss, and high tax burden would be more unfavourable toward introduction of basic income no matter which country they live in.

Keywords

Basic incomesocial securitySwedenSouth Koreawelfare state

Information

Type
Article
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , January 2026 , pp. 16 - 29
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Banerjee, A. and Duflo, E. (2019) Good Economics for Hard Times. New York: Perseus Books.Google Scholar
BIEN. (2022) ‘About basic income,’ https://basicincome.org/about-basic-income/ [accessed 15. 05 2022].Google Scholar
Birnbaum, S. (2013) ‘Basinkomst – ett instrument för rättvisa och hållbarhet?,’ Ekonomisk debatt, 6, 17–27.Google Scholar
Busemeyer, M. and Sahm, A. (2022) ‘Social investment, redistribution or basic income? Exploring the association between automation risk and welfare state attitudes in Europe,’ Journal of Social Policy, 51, 4, 751–770.10.1017/S0047279421000519CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Choi, G. (2021) ‘Basic human values and attitudes towards a universal basic income in Europe,’ Basic Income Studies, 16, 2, 101–123.10.1515/bis-2021-0010CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chui, M., Manyika, J. and Miremadi, M. (2015) ‘Fourth fundamentals of workplace automation,” Mackinsey Quartely, November.Google Scholar
Edlund, J. (2003) ‘Attitudes towards taxation: ignorant and incoherent?,’ Scandinavian Political Studies, 26, 145–167.10.1111/1467-9477.00083CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ekstrand, L. (2013) ‘Medborgarlön: Frigörelsen från arbetslinje, tvång och omyndigförklarande’ in Borg, K. (ed.), After work: farväl till arbetslinjen, Stockholm: Verbal, 80–93.Google Scholar
Fernández-Albertos, J. and Kuo, A. (2018) ‘Income perception, information, and progressive taxation: evidence from a survey experiment,’ Political Science Research and Methods, 6, 1, 83–110.10.1017/psrm.2015.73CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitzgerald, R. (2017) Survey Reveals Young People More Likely to Support Universal Basic Income, But It’s Not a Left-Right Thing: The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/survey-reveals-young-people-more-likely-to-support-universal-basic-income-but-its-not-a-left-right-thing-87554. [accessed 06. 08 2022].10.64628/AB.3rymmchefCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Francese, M. and Prady, D. (2018) ‘Universal basic income: debate and impact assessment,’ IMF Working Paper, 18, 273.10.5089/9781484388815.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fritzell, J., Nelson, K., Heap, J. and Palme, J. (2021) ‘Social protection and inclusion policy responses to the COVD-19 crisis-Sweden’ in European Social Policy Network (ESPN): European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=24628&langId=en [acessed 17. 08 2022].Google Scholar
Geum, M. (2020) Everyone’s Share to Everyone: Basic Income Now (in Korean), Seoul: East Asia.Google Scholar
Janson, P. (2003) ‘Basic income and the Swedish welfare state,’ https://basicincome.org/bien/pdf/2000Janson.pdf Google Scholar
Jung, K., Lee, J. and Yun, J. (2021) ‘A study of COVID-19 pandemic and disaster relief fund,’ Crisisnomy, 17, 3, 1–23.Google Scholar
Kahneman, D. and Tversky, A. (1979) ‘Prospect theory: an analysis of decision under risk,’ Econometrica, 47, 2, 263–291.10.2307/1914185CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kang, N. (2019) The Economics of Basic Income (in Korean), Goyang: Park Jong Cheol Publisher.Google Scholar
Karakas, C. (2016) ‘Basic income: arguments, evidence, prospects,’ Briefing (September), European Parliamentary Research Service.Google Scholar
Laenen, T. and Gugushvili, D. (2023) ‘Welfare state dissatisfaction and support for major welfare reform: towards means-tested welfare or a universal basic income?,’ International Journal of Social Welfare, 32, 2, 178–185.10.1111/ijsw.12546CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larsen, C. A. (2008) ‘The institutional logic of welfare attitudes: how welfare regimes influence public support,’ Comparative Political Studies, 41, 2, 145–168.10.1177/0010414006295234CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Le Moine, R. (2019) ‘Basinkomst -motion till riksdagen 2018/19:2751,’ https://data.riksdagen.se/fil/E3CB68C8-71B6-47C9-9056-078E7A5DB841 Google Scholar
Lee, S. (2018) ‘Attitudes towards Universal Basic Income and Welfare State in Europe: a research note,” Basic Income Studies, 13, 1, 1–9.10.1515/bis-2018-0002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lijphart, A. (1971) ‘Comparative politics and the comparative method,’ American Political Science Review, 65, 682–693.10.2307/1955513CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meltzer, A. H. and Richard, S. F. (1981) ‘A rational theory of the size of government,’ Journal of Political Economy, 89, 5, 914–927.10.1086/261013CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minogue, R. (2018) ‘Five problems with universal basic income,’ Third Way.Google Scholar
Müller, W. (2013) ‘Does an Unconditional Basic Income Provide Higher Effectiveness and Efficiency? An Analysis of the Social Security Systems of Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Hamburg: Anchor Academic Publishing.Google Scholar
National Assembly Budget Office. (2021) Tax Statistics 2021. Seoul: NABO.Google Scholar
Nettle, D., Johnson, E., Johnson, M. and Saxe, R. (2021) ‘Why has the COVD-19 pandemic increased support for Universal Basic Income?,’ Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 8, 79, 1–12.10.1057/s41599-021-00760-7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
OECD (2022) ‘Annual National Accounts,’ https://stats.oecd.org/ [accessed 15. 05. 2022].Google Scholar
Parolin, Z. and Siöland, L. (2020) ‘Support for a universal basic income: a demand–capacity paradox?,’ Journal of European Social Policy, 30, 1, 5–19.10.1177/0958928719886525CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roosma, F. and van Oorschot, W. (2020) ‘Public opinion on basic income: mapping European support for a radical alternative for welfare provision,’ Journal of European Social Policy, 30, 2, 190–205.10.1177/0958928719882827CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Samuel, S. (2020) ‘Everywhere basic income has been tried, in one map,’ VOX [20.11.2020].Google Scholar
Standing, G. (2011) The Precariat: The New Dangerous Class, London: Bloomsbury Academic.Google Scholar
Svallfors, S. (2011) ‘A Bedrock of support? Trends in welfare state attitudes in Sweden, 1981–2010,’ Social Policy & Administration, 45, 7, 806–825.10.1111/j.1467-9515.2011.00796.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van der Veen, R. and Van Parijs, P. (1986) A capitalist road to communism. Basic income studies,’ Theory and Society, 15, 5. 635–655.10.1007/BF00239129CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Parijs, P. (2017) Basic Income: A Radical Proposal for a Free Society and a Sane Economy, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.10.4159/9780674978072CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vlandas, T. (2021) ‘The political economy of individual-level support for the basic income in Europe,’ Journal of European Social Policy, 31, 1, 62–77.10.1177/0958928720923596CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wetterstrand, M. (2017) ‘Medborgarlön för miljöpartister,’ Smedjan, https://timbro.se/smedjan/medborgarlon-for-miljopartister/ Google Scholar
Yang, J. (2017) The Political Economy of the Small Welfare State in South Korea, New York: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/9781108235419CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, J. (2020) ‘Universal basic income as obstacle to welfare state development’ (in Korean),’ Economy and Society, 12, 58–77.10.18207/criso.2020..128.58CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, J., Yun, S. and Jang, W. (2021) ‘People’s attitude of tax increase related to social welfare and basic income in Korea” (in Korean). Budget Policy Research, 10, 2, 1–28.Google Scholar
Zamboni, M. (2021) ‘Basic income in the Swedish legislative debate: the forbidden topic,’ European Journal of Social Security, 23, 4, 341–359.10.1177/13882627211018701CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Yang supplementary material

Yang supplementary material
Download Yang supplementary material(File)
File 29.1 KB