Anticipated effects of an unconditional cash transfer program: A qualitative community-engaged planning study

Abstract

Introduction

This community-engaged study explored the perspectives of residents in Oakland County, Michigan, who were experiencing poverty to understand how a proposed short-term unconditional cash transfer program may or may not influence their health and well-being.

Methods

Community partners recruited low-income residents to participate in focus groups. Six focus groups with 34 participants, aged 25–82, were held in 2023. In 2024, the team used qualitative content analysis to understand the anticipated effects of an unconditional cash transfer program.

Results

Among the 34 participants, 25 (74 %) were at or below 100 % of the federal poverty level. Participants identified their health and well-being priorities broadly, encompassing physical and mental health for themselves and their families, family enrichment, and safety. Participants often described their priorities in tandem with barriers. The most cited barrier was insufficient funds, which created other social risk factors (e.g., food insecurity, inaccessible healthcare). Participants discussed using funds from an unconditional cash transfer program to address diverse social risk factors, including using funds to pay for utilities or to move to a different neighborhood. Participants described how beneficiaries may use funds to pay existing debt, but may not have the opportunity to build financial security.

Conclusions

Low-income community members viewed a short-term unconditional cash transfer program as having promising, but diverse and limited, effects on individual health and well-being. Centering beneficiaries' priorities and intended uses within plans to design, implement, and evaluate unconditional cash transfers may help programs observe positive gains in health and well-being.