Hamburg starts groundbreaking referendum on basic income!

Hamburg starts groundbreaking referendum on basic income!

Something is happening in the area of ​​basic income in Hamburg! The popular initiative “Hamburg tests basic income” started its comprehensive campaign for a referendum on September 6, 2025. The decision is planned for October 12, 2025, where the city's citizens can vote on whether a three-year model experiment for unconditional basic income (UBI) should be started. The focus is on 2,000 participants, from newborns to retirees, who will receive 1,346 euros every month and health insurance. The goal? To examine the effects of basic income on recipients and coexistence in the city. [NDR] reports on the initiative, which draws attention to itself through numerous posters with slogans such as “I’ll do it for all of us” and “I’ll do it for Hamburg”.

Another aspect of the campaign is online advertising, which is intended not only to collect votes, but also to create awareness of the issue. Voting itself is possible both at the polling stations and by post, with election notifications being sent by post. In order for the referendum to be successful, the initiative needs at least 265,000 votes from Hamburg.

Shared response among citizens

Reactions to the planned project among Hamburg's citizens are mixed. The Left is clearly on the side of basic income and supports the initiative. In contrast, the SPD, CDU and the Greens are skeptical and view the UBI as socially unfair and economically unsustainable. The AfD even describes the project as “haphazard” and warns of an “experiment with tax money”. It is interesting that the popular initiative was founded in 2020 and has so far been financed through donations. It relies on the commitment of around a dozen full-time employees and many volunteers.

But what are the backgrounds of this big discussion? Belief in the positive effects of an unconditional basic income is growing, even if there is still insufficient knowledge about the exact effects on people's behavior. That's why various groups have come together to recommend model experiments like this, which should have scientific support. [Hamburg tests basic income] emphasizes that the tests will be carried out with randomly selected people and will be financed by the state.

Focus on financing models

An important point in the debate is the question of financing the basic income. Economist Philip Kovce, co-founder of the Citizens' Initiative for Unconditional Basic Income, explains that this could be possible through savings in existing social benefits. Richard David Precht, a well-known philosopher, even put forward a proposal in 2018 to finance the UBI through a financial transaction tax. But not everyone is positive about this concept. Critics argue that it is unfinanceable and call for a fair distribution of the financing burden. Interesting financing ideas also come from various organizations, which often propose different models, from citizens' insurance to a VAT of around 50 percent, which should enable a basic income of 1,000 euros. [bpb] explains the variety of approaches and concerns about financial viability.

The initiators and supporters have just under a quarter of a year until the decisive referendum to convince the population. The discussion about basic income is taking place not only in Hamburg, but also in many other parts of the world. It remains exciting to see whether the experiment with the UBI in Hamburg can set an example for future social policy.