The literature on BI is extensive and growing, with two main focus areas. The first group of studies analyzes evidence from BI programs and pilots implemented worldwide. Overall, this literature has focused on examining workforce participation, health, poverty, and children's outcomes (Gibson et al. 2018, Hasdell 2020, and Pinto et al. 2021 for a systemic analysis of this literature). In the second area, scholars have recently turned their attention to identifying the predictors of support for BI using surveys and survey experiments. While most of this literature has focused on public support in Europe (e.g., Rincon 2021, Vlandas 2021), a few studies have explored the same questions in the American context (e.g., Jordan et al. 2022, Nettle et al. 2021). We posit two important understudied questions:

First, does receiving a BI influence an individual's labor choices? Questions of workforce engagement have been central in the BI literature (Hasdell 2020, Pinto et al. 2021). Overall, the findings from the analysis of BI experiments show only moderate declines in working time and labor market participation (Calnitsky & Latner 2017, Marinescu 2018, Hasdell 2020). However, few studies have explored the extent to which receiving a BI might shape labor market engagement by providing opportunities for re-training, industry switches, and entrepreneurship. We posit that BI only marginally impacts labor market participation and working time, but it creates an opportunity for individuals to change job tracks by affecting risk-taking (Ståhl & MacEachen 2021). BI, we hypothesize, has the potential to alleviate policy traps that limit people’s options in the labor market.

Second, what are the main drivers of Americans’ opinion on BI programs? From the existing literature, we know that support for BI increased in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic (Nettle et al. 2021) and that partisan differences play a role in shaping opinion (Jordan et al. 2022). Our preliminary research on California using CalSPEAKS 2021 data shows overall support for the implementation of a BI program. Our finding from a survey experiment suggests slightly larger support for BI when it is framed in the context of allowing opportunities to pursue an alternative career.