Universal basic income and the challenge of racialized opposition: can economic self-interest overcome racial resentment?
Persistent URL
Author(s)
Bloeser, Andrew
Tomkiewicz, Jesse
Date Issued
August 5, 2025
Abstract
White Americans with higher levels of racial resentment are among the most consistent opponents of social welfare policies for lower-income people because they perceive that these policies predominantly benefit black Americans. The universalist approach to social welfare offers a response to this racialized opposition that appeals to economic self-interest. This approach argues that greater public support is more likely when benefits are distributed more broadly and that racially resentful whites will be more inclined to support social welfare policies when they can directly benefit. The emergence of universal basic income (UBI) provides an opportunity to test this proposition. Using two nationally representative surveys and a survey experiment, we find evidence that economic self-interest can override racialized opposition among lower-income whites. However, we also find evidence that challenges the universalist argument. Racially resentful whites with higher incomes generally oppose UBI and UBI policies do not necessarily garner broader support than the policy most Americans associate with social welfare - aid to the poor. We argue that these findings shed light on the endurance of racialized opposition to social welfare and why public support for UBI remains fragile.
Journal
Politics, Groups, and Identities
Department
Political Science
Citation
Bloeser, A., & Tomkiewicz, J. (2026). Universal basic income and the challenge of racialized opposition: can economic self-interest overcome racial resentment? Politics, Groups, and Identities, 14(3), 457–478. https://doi.org/10.1080/21565503.2025.2530947
Publisher
Routledge Journals
Version of Article
Published version
Rights
© 2025 Western Political Science Association
Type of Publication
Journal Article
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2025_Bloesser_Universal.pdf
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