Andrew Yang: Universal Basic Income 'Inevitable,' Lauds $1K Payments as Best Part of Campaign

Andrew Yang may not have won the presidential election, but he credits his campaign with moving the country towards the "inevitable" implementation of a universal basic income program in the United States.

Yang has become synonymous with universal basic income and initially sought to focus his presidential campaign around the concept, not himself. Once a fringe theory, the possibility of the government sending monthly payments to Americans has gained traction, especially among young people, and was a main attractor of people to Yang's campaign.

"Most people agree that we succeed in putting universal basic income, once considered a quixotic idea, onto the national political radar," Yang wrote in his new book, Forward. "By raising the profile of universal basic income and focusing on issues like automation, we had accelerated the end of poverty in our society years, perhaps even generations."

In August 2020, a Pew Research poll found only a slim majority of American adults oppose a nationwide universal basic income program. However, a majority of young people, aged 18-29, would support a UBI program that issued $1,000 monthly payments to every citizen, as did the majority of Black and Hispanic people, polled.