Across seven Latin American countries, targeted help for people in extreme poverty drew broader support than payments for everyone.
Researchers analysed nationally representative surveys conducted in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru in 2022. The surveys examined support for universal cash payments and for means-tested transfers, including aid aimed at people in extreme poverty.
Support for universal payments was not significantly linked to respondents’ socio-economic status or left-right political orientation, and current or former recipients of targeted transfers did not show greater support for universal benefits. By contrast, support for targeted transfers was associated with income, education, ideology and views about inequality. Chile had notably higher support for universal transfers than the other countries studied.
What the surveys found
Fewer than 10 per cent of respondents supported both features that define a universal basic income: payments available to everyone and provided without conditions. Support was not significantly shaped by socio-economic status or left-right orientation, and recipients of targeted transfers were no more likely than others to support universal payments.
Targeted programmes, especially transfers for people in extreme poverty, received broader support. Poorer respondents and those with lower levels of education were more likely to favour them, as were people who supported left-wing candidates, believed inequality was too high, backed taxing the rich to fund social programmes or preferred social spending over police funding. Living with children and urban residence were positively associated with support for universal transfers, but these factors did not create a broad or consistent base of support.
Why targeted aid matters
The findings challenge the idea that targeted cash programmes naturally build support for universal benefits. In these surveys, receiving targeted aid was not associated with greater support for payments to everyone; the programmes may instead reinforce a preference for assistance based on who is judged eligible.
The results also suggest that support for universal transfers depends on national context. Chile stood out for its higher support, while the broader pattern across the seven countries was limited backing for universal payments and stronger support for targeted help.
Evidence and caveats
The study is an exploratory cross-national analysis of nationally representative surveys conducted in seven Latin American democracies in 2022. The researchers used statistical models to examine associations between respondents’ characteristics, transfer receipt and support for different kinds of programmes; the survey evidence does not by itself establish that targeted programmes cause people to oppose universal payments.
The analysis covers seven countries and one period soon after the COVID-19 pandemic, so the findings may not apply unchanged elsewhere or as public attitudes shift. The researchers also report notable country differences, particularly Chile’s higher support for universal transfers, and call for further study of the institutional, political and messaging factors behind these views.
