How cultural world views moderate policy framing on Universal Basic Income
2026-04-27
Universal Basic Income (UBI) has gained global attention as a potential policy response to the AI revolution, yet public support remains divided. While existing research highlights the role of political predisposition in shaping attitudes towards UBI, such explanations rely on the presence of partisan/ideological cues. In contexts where UBI is not yet politicized, ideological alignment may offer limited explanatory power. This article examines how individuals’ cultural predispositions, as conceptualized by Cultural Theory (CT), shape responses to different UBI framings in Taiwan, a non-Western democracy where partisan cues on UBI are less salient. Using an online survey experiment, the article tests how cultural world views interact with framing conditions to influence support for UBI. Findings demonstrate framing effects are conditioned by cultural orientations, supporting CT that individuals filter policy information through stable value lenses. This study advances a theoretical framework for understanding how public opinion forms in the absence of partisan cues.