Basic Income for Artists
Social Justice Ireland welcomes the findings of the latest research on the Basic Income for Arts pilot scheme shows that this basic income pilot is having a positive impact on those artists in receipt of the weekly Basic Income for Artists. According to the research findings, one year into the pilot, the Basic Income for the Arts payment is having a consistent, positive impact on almost all indicators. It is having a positive impact on practice development, sectoral retention, well-being, for recipients, and has reduced deprivation rates among the recipients. Those artists in receipt of the basic income are spending more time on their art practice per week, less time working in other sectors, are more likely to be able to sustain themselves through arts work alone and are suffering less from depression and anxiety.
The report, 'Basic Income for the Arts - Impact Assessment (first year)' contains the following key findings:
- Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) recipients spend on average almost 8 weekly hours more on their creative practice than the control group.
- Compared to the control group, BIA recipients spend on average 3.5 weekly hours more making work, more than 2 weekly hours on research and experimentation, more than half an hour weekly on training, and more than 1 hour weekly on management and administration.
- Compared to the control group, BIA recipients invest on average €550 more monthly in their practice, namely on equipment and materials, advertising and marketing, workspaces, and work travel. This extra spending is almost 40% of participants’ BIA monthly payment.
- BIA recipients are on average 15 percentage points less likely to have been unable to work in the arts compared to the control group.
- BIA recipients are also 13 percentage points less likely to name low pay as a reason for not being able to work in the arts, and 8.6 percentage points less likely to list lack of jobs or clients as a reason for not being able to work in the arts.
- BIA recipients spend on average 2.7 weekly hours less than the control group working in another sector.
- BIA recipients are over nine percentage points more likely to be able to sustain themselves through arts work alone compared to the control group.
- Life satisfaction, measured on a scale of 1 to 10, is more than half a point higher for BIA recipients compared to the control group. BIA recipients have increased their leisure time by almost one hour per week on average compared to the control group.
- BIA recipients are on average 6 percentage points less likely to have felt downhearted or depressed, and over 8 percentage points less likely to have experienced anxiety compared to the control group.
- BIA recipients are on average 18.8 percentage points less likely to have difficulty making ends meet compared to the control group.
- The Enforced Deprivation Rate, as measured by the CSO, declined on average by 20.2 percentage points for BIA recipients compared to the control group.
- BIA recipients experienced a decline in material deprivation across 10 out of 11 SILC indicators, meaning that they are more likely to be able to afford basic necessities compared to the control group. The decline ranges from -4 to -19.6 percentage points, depending on the item.
- BIA recipients are 7.7 percentage points more likely to have completed new works in the previous six months compared to the control group. On average, they have completed 3.6 pieces of work more than the control group.
- As of October 2023, research suggests that the BIA payment is having a consistent, statistically significant impact on almost all indicators; affecting practice development, sectoral retention, well-being, and deprivation. Impacts materialised fairly quickly within the first six months of the pilot.
Arts Work Viability Impacts
BIA recipients are over 9 percentage points more likely to be able to sustain themselves through arts work alone compared to the control group. This is a small decrease of 2.4 percentage points since April 2023, however the difference between BIA recipients and the control group remains large, as more than one third of BIA participants and less than a quarter of the control group are able to sustain themselves through arts work alone.
Practice Development Impacts
Weekly time spent on creative practice has increased further since April 2023. In October 2023, we are finding that compared to the control group BIA recipients spend on average almost 8 weekly hours more on their creative practice. This is an increase of more than 4 hours on average compared to April 2023. Recipients are spending more time on making work, doing research and experimentation, training, and on management and administration.
BIA recipients also increased the level of monthly investment into their creative practice since April 2023. Compared to the control group, they invest on average €550 more monthly into their practice, namely on equipment and materials, advertising and marketing, work spaces, and work travel. The average amount invested equates to almost 40% of their BIA monthly payment1. This is an increase of €123 on average compared to April 2023.
BIA recipients are on average 7.7 percentage points more likely to have completed new works compared to the control group. 79.04% of BIA recipients completed new works in the previous 6 months, while 69.33% of the control group did the same. On average, BIA recipients completed 3.6 pieces of work more than the control group.
Sectoral Retention Impacts
BIA recipients are 15 percentage points more likely than the control group to have been able to work in the arts in the previous 6 months: 47.81% of BIA recipients and 66.01% of the control group stated they had been unable to work in the arts at least once in the previous six months. As of October 2023, 17.3% of BIA recipients named “low pay” as a reason for not being able to work in the arts, while almost twice as many (32.5%) did so in the control group.
In October 2023, 26.2% of BIA recipients and 37.6% of the control group named “lack of jobs or clients” as a reason for not being able to work in the arts. There is no evidence that the BIA payment affects the likelihood to list “caring responsibilities” or “sickness” as reasons for not being able to work in the arts.
On average, BIA recipients spend 2.7 hours less than the control group working in a sector other than the arts. This value was slightly higher in April 2023, at 3.3 hours.
Well-being Impacts
Life satisfaction, measured on a scale of 1 to 10, remains more than half a point higher for BIA recipients compared to the control group.
There is no evidence that BIA recipients have altered their time use in regard to household work, care work, sleeping, volunteering outside the arts, or exercising. They have however increased their leisure time by 1 weekly hour on average compared to the control group.
BIA recipients are on average 6 percentage points less likely to have felt depressed or downhearted in the previous four weeks compared to the control group. The share of those who reported feeling depressed or downhearted among the control group has remained stable around the 74% mark.
Among BIA recipients it is at 62%, a slightly higher value than the 59% recorded in April 2023. Despite the marked difference between the groups, these values are extremely high, as the average for the general population is 32.4%2.
BIA recipients are over 8 percentage points less likely to have experienced anxiety compared to the control group. The share of those who reported anxiety among the control group has remained stable around the 82% mark. Among BIA recipients it is at 75%, a slightly higher value than the 73% recorded in April 2023. Again, despite the marked difference between the groups, these values are extremely high.
Income Impacts
BIA recipients are 18.8 percentage points less likely to have difficulty making ends meet compared to the control group. As of October 2023, 67% of the control group reported making ends meet with at least some difficulty, while the share among BIA recipients is the same as the general population, 48%. The share of those who make ends meet very easily is 7.5% among the general population, 2.6% among BIA recipients, and 1.2% among the control group.
The Enforced Deprivation Rate, as measured by the CSO, declined on average by 20.2 percentage points for BIA recipients compared to the control group. This is an improvement compared to the average decline of 18.5 percentage points recorded in April 2023. The Enforced Deprivation Rate is the share of those who cannot afford 2 or more out of 11 basic items. In October 2023, 33% of BIA recipients and 54% of control group members are experiencing deprivation. Among the general population the share is 17.3%.
BIA recipients are 4 to 19.6 percentage points more likely to be able to afford basic items than the control group. BIA recipients however are still faring worse than the general population. For example, 17% of BIA recipients and 7% of the general population can’t afford to keep the home adequately warm. 14% BIA recipients and 8% of the general population can’t afford to buy new clothes. 6.25% of BIA recipients and 1.20% of the general population are unable to afford a warm waterproof coat.
Social Justice Ireland welcomes the findings of this research. It highlights the impact of the basic income payment across a broad range of indicators, and the positive benefits it has in all areas from increasing artistic output, improved wellbeing, reduced deprivation and retention of artists within the arts sector. We urge Government to use this research to inform the design and implementation of a universal basic income to be introduced over time.
The Basic Impact for the Arts Impact Assessment is available to download here.
Social Justice Ireland’s research and proposals on a Basic Income Pilot for Artists are available here.
https://www.socialjustice.ie/system/files/file-uploads/2021-12/2021-12-06-basic-income-summary_0.pdf