Elliott Elliott Aidan Johnson
Biographic Data
| ID | 4396977 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Elliott Elliott Aidan Johnson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Elliott Elliott Aidan |
| FAMILY NAME | Johnson |
| SIGNATURE | JOHNSON E E A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Northumbria University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0937-6894 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 28 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 50 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 28 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Reliability and affordability: Understanding the reasons for UK voters’ support for nationalisation and public control
This article explores UK public preferences on an illustrative progressive transport policy grounded in state ownership and control elicited within a complex and methodologically diverse series of surveys (1) n=693; 2) n=10; 3) n=2,200) of adult UK residents conducted in January 2024 in the run up to the UK General Election. We analyse survey 3 to show that levels of support for transport reform are high across parties and demographic groups, and…
Reducing avoidable deaths and energy poverty: Conjoint experimental survey evidence on United Kingdom voters' priorities for energy policy
The United Kingdom Government has highlighted the importance of energy security, energy affordability and a transition to net zero as policy priorities. However, there is concern that the most efficient means of achieving this – nationalisation of the grid and parts of generation and supply – require taxation that is not electorally feasible. It is often asserted that there is an apparent paradox in this regard, such that those who have most to g…
UK resident preferences on tax reform: Survey-based evidence suggests support for progressive change in the run up to the 2024 General Election
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, has described the UK economy as being in its worst state since 1945. Unlike the Labour Government of 1945, Reeves has rejected Beveridge-style public investment, in part because of claims of public support for fiscal restraint. We report findings of innovative, iterative mixed-methods survey (1) n = 693; 2) n = 10; 3) n = 2200) analysis of a programme for progressive tax reform designed to achieve c…
What principles ought to underpin ‘Radical Prevention Funds’? Ten principles capable of addressing social determinants to promote public health
The UK Government has increasingly concluded that ‘prevention is better than cure’ on the basis that preventive health interventions are more cost-effective than reactive services in delivering additional years in good health for the population. However, UK health and care systems are under intense financial pressure that preclude their shifting resources upstream to address social determinants of health. A separate Radical Prevention Fund (RPF) …
Why is income volatility associated with poor health? Longitudinal evidence from the UK and France
There is some evidence that income volatility (fluctuations in income over time) negatively affects mental and physical health, independently of the level of income. Evidence to date has examined fluctuations from year to year or from day to day, whereas a more relevant timescale might be month to month. Here, we use data from the Changing Cost of Living Study, a longitudinal panel from the UK and France with monthly data (n = 484). We examine th…
Exploring UK residents’ views on substantive education reform: Adversarially co-produced narratives indicate fluidity in support
Substantive reform capable of addressing multiple crises within the UK education system is often rejected on the basis that public opposition to tax and investment precludes politicians from implementing reform, even though policymakers may otherwise wish to do so. Here, we analyse data from a methodologically diverse series of surveys (1) n = 693; (2) n = 10; (3) n = 2,200 of adult UK residents conducted between November 2023-January 2024 examin…
Why Britain needs a new Beveridge and why politicians need to defer to the evidence
Anxiety, Insecurity, and Redistribution in the UK ‘Red Wall’: Have Policy Preferences Changed Since the Covid-19 Pandemic
Anxiety is often seen as a driver of far-right politics in British political culture that is strategically irrational insofar as the consequences of the policies pursued by such parties contribute to an increase in poverty and inequality, which are drivers of anxiety. This article shows that anxiety can also drive voter support for strategically rational, progressive policies, which hold out a real prospect for addressing the threats that voters …
What Do People Want From a Welfare System? Conjoint Survey Evidence From UK Adults
What do people want from a welfare system? Previous research has suggested a list of desiderata, such as that the system: reduces poverty; reduces inequality; improves mental and physical health; costs little; and rewards only the deserving. How do these different features trade off against one another to determine overall desirability? We conducted a conjoint survey experiment with 800 UK‐resident adults, presenting them with hypothetical welfar…
After nudging: The ethical challenge of post-pandemic policymaking in the UK
This article explores the interplay between crises, opportunities and democratic change in the United Kingdom. A vast body of scholarship underlines that crises open ‘windows of opportunity’ that can occasionally lead to radical shifts in the role of the state and the design of public policy. Even when a radical shift occurs, however, it has often proved temporary, with relationships and processes quickly reverting to pre-crisis modes once the im…
Short‐term changes in financial situation have immediate mental health consequences: Implications for social policy
Poverty is associated with psychological variables such as increased anxiety, increased depression, steeper time discounting and greater risk aversion. However, less is known about whether short‐term changes in financial circumstances are coupled to immediate psychological responses. We present data from the Changing Cost of Living study, in which panels of adults in France ( n = 232) and the UK ( n = 240) completed financial and psychological su…
Short-term changes in financial situation have immediate mental health consequences: Implications for social policy
Poverty is associated with psychological variables such as increased anxiety, increased depression, steeper time discounting and greater risk aversion. However, less is known about whether short-term changes in financial circumstances are coupled to immediate psychological responses. We present data from the Changing Cost of Living study, in which panels of adults in France (n = 232) and the UK (n = 240) completed financial and psychological surv…
What do people want from a welfare system? Conjoint survey evidence from UK adults
What do people want from a welfare system? Previous research has suggested a list of desiderata, such as that the system: reduces poverty; reduces inequality; improves mental and physical health; costs little; and rewards only the deserving. How do these different features trade off against one another to determine overall desirability? We conducted a conjoint survey experiment with 800 UK-resident adults, presenting them with hypothetical welfar…
Changing circumstances and new basic premises: Turning the affordability and feasibility relationship on its head: a reply to ‘The big tax hikes that make UBI “affordable” could be used to cut poverty…
Changing circumstances and new basic premises: turning the affordability and feasibility relationship on its head: a reply to ‘The big tax hikes that make UBI “affordable” could be used to cut poverty in more targeted ways’ by Donald Hirsch 1" published on Feb 2023 by Policy Press
Universal Basic Income is affordable and feasible: Evidence from UK economic microsimulation modelling1
Critics of Universal Basic Income (UBI) have claimed that it would be either unaffordable or inadequate. This discussion paper tests this claim by examining the distributional impacts of three UBI schemes broadly designed to provide pathways to attainment of the Minimum Income Standard (MIS). We use microsimulation of data from the Family Resources Survey to outline the static distributional impacts and costs of the schemes. Our key finding is th…
Breaking the Overton Window: On the need for adversarial co-production
Co-production has emerged as one of the key concepts in understanding knowledge-policy interactions and is associated with involvement, for example, of users of public services in their design and delivery. At a time of permacrisis, the need for transformative evidence-based policymaking is urgent and great. This is particularly important in highly distressed 'left-behind' communities targeted by the UK Government for Levelling Up, which constitu…
Can the ‘downward spiral’ of material conditions, mental health and faith in government be stopped? Evidence from surveys in ‘red wall’ constituencies
If policy preferences follow material interests, the experience of socioeconomic disadvantage ought to increase support for redistributive policies. However, experiencing disadvantage might also reduce faith in government’s ability to make things better, indirectly reducing support for redistributive action, and leading to a spiral of widening disadvantage and increasing political disengagement. Indeed, disadvantaged communities sometimes favour …
Can Universal Basic Income work for disabled people? An examination of existing UK organisational and academic positions
Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been proposed as a means of addressing a range of issues relating to welfare systems, including by removing disincentives to economic, social and physical activity. However, UK disability organisations and figures have expressed concerns about whether UBI could lead to unintended consequences for people who currently receive support conditional on needs, means and/or behaviour. In this article, we outline prominen…
What role do young people believe Universal Basic Income can play in supporting their mental health
The proportion of 16- to 24-year-olds in England reporting a longstanding mental health condition increased almost 10-fold between 1995 and 2014. Studies demonstrate an association between income and anxiety and depression, with bi-directional effects. There is also emerging evidence that cash transfers may mitigate, prevent or delay those conditions. This article presents qualitative data exploring the relationship between income and anxiety and…
Building on foundations of evidence and intuition: A reply to commentaries on ‘Fairness, generosity and conditionality in the welfare system: the case of UK disability benefits’ by Elliot Johnson and …
Building on foundations of evidence and intuition: a reply to commentaries on ‘Fairness, generosity and conditionality in the welfare system: the case of UK disability benefits’ by Johnson and Nettle" published on 26 Jul 2022 by Bristol University Press
Are ‘red wall’ constituencies really opposed to progressive policy? Examining the impact of materialist narratives for Universal Basic Income
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1057/s41293-022-00220-z
Why has the Covid-19 pandemic increased support for Universal Basic Income
The onset of the 2020 global COVID-19 pandemic led to a marked increase in positive discussion of Universal Basic Income (UBI) in political and media circles. However, we do not know whether there was a corresponding increase in support for the policy in the public at large, or why. Here, we present three studies carried out during 2020 in UK and US samples. In study 1 ( n = 802, April 2020), people expressed much stronger support for a UBI polic…
Examining the ethical underpinnings of universal basic income as a public health policy: Prophylaxis, social engineering and ‘good’ lives
At a time of COVID-19 pandemic, universal basic income (UBI) has been presented as a potential public health ‘upstream intervention’. Research indicates a possible impact on health by reducing poverty, fostering health-promoting behaviour and ameliorating biopsychosocial pathways to health. This novel case for UBI as a public health measure is starting to receive attention from a range of political positions and organisations. However, discussion…
Centrism, ‘expertise’ and the 2019 UK general election: A review of William Davies’s Nervous States: How Feeling Took Over the World
Mitigating social and economic sources of trauma: The need for universal basic income during the coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic is projected to cause an economic shock larger than the global financial crisis of 2007-2008 and a recession as great as anything seen since the Great Depression in 1930s. The social and economic consequences of lockdowns and social distancing measures, such as unemployment, broken relationships and homelessness, create potential for intergenerational trauma extending decades into the future. In this article, we argue that, …
Universal Basic Income is affordable and feasible: Evidence from UK economic microsimulation modelling1
Critics of Universal Basic Income (UBI) have claimed that it would be either unaffordable or inadequate. This discussion paper tests this claim by examining the distributional impacts of three UBI schemes broadly designed to provide pathways to attainment of the Minimum Income Standard (MIS). We use microsimulation of data from the Family Resources Survey to outline the static distributional impacts and costs of the schemes. Our key finding is th…
Are ‘red wall’ constituencies really opposed to progressive policy? Examining the impact of materialist narratives for Universal Basic Income
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1057/s41293-022-00220-z
Breaking the Overton Window: On the need for adversarial co-production
Co-production has emerged as one of the key concepts in understanding knowledge-policy interactions and is associated with involvement, for example, of users of public services in their design and delivery. At a time of permacrisis, the need for transformative evidence-based policymaking is urgent and great. This is particularly important in highly distressed 'left-behind' communities targeted by the UK Government for Levelling Up, which constitu…
Can the ‘downward spiral’ of material conditions, mental health and faith in government be stopped? Evidence from surveys in ‘red wall’ constituencies
If policy preferences follow material interests, the experience of socioeconomic disadvantage ought to increase support for redistributive policies. However, experiencing disadvantage might also reduce faith in government’s ability to make things better, indirectly reducing support for redistributive action, and leading to a spiral of widening disadvantage and increasing political disengagement. Indeed, disadvantaged communities sometimes favour …
Short‐term changes in financial situation have immediate mental health consequences: Implications for social policy
Poverty is associated with psychological variables such as increased anxiety, increased depression, steeper time discounting and greater risk aversion. However, less is known about whether short‐term changes in financial circumstances are coupled to immediate psychological responses. We present data from the Changing Cost of Living study, in which panels of adults in France ( n = 232) and the UK ( n = 240) completed financial and psychological su…
What role do young people believe Universal Basic Income can play in supporting their mental health
The proportion of 16- to 24-year-olds in England reporting a longstanding mental health condition increased almost 10-fold between 1995 and 2014. Studies demonstrate an association between income and anxiety and depression, with bi-directional effects. There is also emerging evidence that cash transfers may mitigate, prevent or delay those conditions. This article presents qualitative data exploring the relationship between income and anxiety and…
Fairness, generosity and conditionality in the welfare system: The case of UK disability benefits
This paper represents a collaboration between a policy researcher and a behavioural scientist who studies cooperation. Our goal was to develop a shared understanding of one particular policy topic, the reforms to the UK system of disability benefits initiated during the last term of the New Labour Government and accelerated under the Conservative-led administrations since 2010. These reforms introduced much stronger focus on conditionality and as…
Anxiety, Insecurity, and Redistribution in the UK ‘Red Wall’: Have Policy Preferences Changed Since the Covid-19 Pandemic
Anxiety is often seen as a driver of far-right politics in British political culture that is strategically irrational insofar as the consequences of the policies pursued by such parties contribute to an increase in poverty and inequality, which are drivers of anxiety. This article shows that anxiety can also drive voter support for strategically rational, progressive policies, which hold out a real prospect for addressing the threats that voters …
What Do People Want From a Welfare System? Conjoint Survey Evidence From UK Adults
What do people want from a welfare system? Previous research has suggested a list of desiderata, such as that the system: reduces poverty; reduces inequality; improves mental and physical health; costs little; and rewards only the deserving. How do these different features trade off against one another to determine overall desirability? We conducted a conjoint survey experiment with 800 UK‐resident adults, presenting them with hypothetical welfar…
Measuring the health impact of Universal Basic Income as an upstream intervention: Holistic trial design that captures stress reduction is essential
Background: In the context of the UK Government’s ‘prevention agenda’, Laura Webber and colleagues have called for a ‘health in all policies’ approach. Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a system of cash transfers to citizens. Recent research suggests it could significantly benefit population health, including via reducing stress. However, a Finnish trial of a policy with similarities to UBI has influenced debate. This was reported as a failure due …
Stress, domination and basic income: Considering a citizens’ entitlement response to a public health crisis
Exploring UK residents’ views on substantive education reform: Adversarially co-produced narratives indicate fluidity in support
Substantive reform capable of addressing multiple crises within the UK education system is often rejected on the basis that public opposition to tax and investment precludes politicians from implementing reform, even though policymakers may otherwise wish to do so. Here, we analyse data from a methodologically diverse series of surveys (1) n = 693; (2) n = 10; (3) n = 2,200 of adult UK residents conducted between November 2023-January 2024 examin…
Why Britain needs a new Beveridge and why politicians need to defer to the evidence
Can Universal Basic Income work for disabled people? An examination of existing UK organisational and academic positions
Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been proposed as a means of addressing a range of issues relating to welfare systems, including by removing disincentives to economic, social and physical activity. However, UK disability organisations and figures have expressed concerns about whether UBI could lead to unintended consequences for people who currently receive support conditional on needs, means and/or behaviour. In this article, we outline prominen…
Stress, domination and basic income: Considering a citizens’ entitlement response to a public health crisis
Centrism, ‘expertise’ and the 2019 UK general election: A review of William Davies’s Nervous States: How Feeling Took Over the World
Mitigating social and economic sources of trauma: The need for universal basic income during the coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic is projected to cause an economic shock larger than the global financial crisis of 2007-2008 and a recession as great as anything seen since the Great Depression in 1930s. The social and economic consequences of lockdowns and social distancing measures, such as unemployment, broken relationships and homelessness, create potential for intergenerational trauma extending decades into the future. In this article, we argue that, …
Fairness, generosity and conditionality in the welfare system: The case of UK disability benefits
This paper represents a collaboration between a policy researcher and a behavioural scientist who studies cooperation. Our goal was to develop a shared understanding of one particular policy topic, the reforms to the UK system of disability benefits initiated during the last term of the New Labour Government and accelerated under the Conservative-led administrations since 2010. These reforms introduced much stronger focus on conditionality and as…
Measuring the health impact of Universal Basic Income as an upstream intervention: Holistic trial design that captures stress reduction is essential
Background: In the context of the UK Government’s ‘prevention agenda’, Laura Webber and colleagues have called for a ‘health in all policies’ approach. Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a system of cash transfers to citizens. Recent research suggests it could significantly benefit population health, including via reducing stress. However, a Finnish trial of a policy with similarities to UBI has influenced debate. This was reported as a failure due …
Why has the Covid-19 pandemic increased support for Universal Basic Income
The onset of the 2020 global COVID-19 pandemic led to a marked increase in positive discussion of Universal Basic Income (UBI) in political and media circles. However, we do not know whether there was a corresponding increase in support for the policy in the public at large, or why. Here, we present three studies carried out during 2020 in UK and US samples. In study 1 ( n = 802, April 2020), people expressed much stronger support for a UBI polic…
Examining the ethical underpinnings of universal basic income as a public health policy: Prophylaxis, social engineering and ‘good’ lives
At a time of COVID-19 pandemic, universal basic income (UBI) has been presented as a potential public health ‘upstream intervention’. Research indicates a possible impact on health by reducing poverty, fostering health-promoting behaviour and ameliorating biopsychosocial pathways to health. This novel case for UBI as a public health measure is starting to receive attention from a range of political positions and organisations. However, discussion…
Building on foundations of evidence and intuition: A reply to commentaries on ‘Fairness, generosity and conditionality in the welfare system: the case of UK disability benefits’ by Elliot Johnson and …
Building on foundations of evidence and intuition: a reply to commentaries on ‘Fairness, generosity and conditionality in the welfare system: the case of UK disability benefits’ by Johnson and Nettle" published on 26 Jul 2022 by Bristol University Press
Are ‘red wall’ constituencies really opposed to progressive policy? Examining the impact of materialist narratives for Universal Basic Income
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1057/s41293-022-00220-z
Short-term changes in financial situation have immediate mental health consequences: Implications for social policy
Poverty is associated with psychological variables such as increased anxiety, increased depression, steeper time discounting and greater risk aversion. However, less is known about whether short-term changes in financial circumstances are coupled to immediate psychological responses. We present data from the Changing Cost of Living study, in which panels of adults in France (n = 232) and the UK (n = 240) completed financial and psychological surv…
What do people want from a welfare system? Conjoint survey evidence from UK adults
What do people want from a welfare system? Previous research has suggested a list of desiderata, such as that the system: reduces poverty; reduces inequality; improves mental and physical health; costs little; and rewards only the deserving. How do these different features trade off against one another to determine overall desirability? We conducted a conjoint survey experiment with 800 UK-resident adults, presenting them with hypothetical welfar…
Changing circumstances and new basic premises: Turning the affordability and feasibility relationship on its head: a reply to ‘The big tax hikes that make UBI “affordable” could be used to cut poverty…
Changing circumstances and new basic premises: turning the affordability and feasibility relationship on its head: a reply to ‘The big tax hikes that make UBI “affordable” could be used to cut poverty in more targeted ways’ by Donald Hirsch 1" published on Feb 2023 by Policy Press
Universal Basic Income is affordable and feasible: Evidence from UK economic microsimulation modelling1
Critics of Universal Basic Income (UBI) have claimed that it would be either unaffordable or inadequate. This discussion paper tests this claim by examining the distributional impacts of three UBI schemes broadly designed to provide pathways to attainment of the Minimum Income Standard (MIS). We use microsimulation of data from the Family Resources Survey to outline the static distributional impacts and costs of the schemes. Our key finding is th…
Breaking the Overton Window: On the need for adversarial co-production
Co-production has emerged as one of the key concepts in understanding knowledge-policy interactions and is associated with involvement, for example, of users of public services in their design and delivery. At a time of permacrisis, the need for transformative evidence-based policymaking is urgent and great. This is particularly important in highly distressed 'left-behind' communities targeted by the UK Government for Levelling Up, which constitu…
Can the ‘downward spiral’ of material conditions, mental health and faith in government be stopped? Evidence from surveys in ‘red wall’ constituencies
If policy preferences follow material interests, the experience of socioeconomic disadvantage ought to increase support for redistributive policies. However, experiencing disadvantage might also reduce faith in government’s ability to make things better, indirectly reducing support for redistributive action, and leading to a spiral of widening disadvantage and increasing political disengagement. Indeed, disadvantaged communities sometimes favour …
Can Universal Basic Income work for disabled people? An examination of existing UK organisational and academic positions
Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been proposed as a means of addressing a range of issues relating to welfare systems, including by removing disincentives to economic, social and physical activity. However, UK disability organisations and figures have expressed concerns about whether UBI could lead to unintended consequences for people who currently receive support conditional on needs, means and/or behaviour. In this article, we outline prominen…
What role do young people believe Universal Basic Income can play in supporting their mental health
The proportion of 16- to 24-year-olds in England reporting a longstanding mental health condition increased almost 10-fold between 1995 and 2014. Studies demonstrate an association between income and anxiety and depression, with bi-directional effects. There is also emerging evidence that cash transfers may mitigate, prevent or delay those conditions. This article presents qualitative data exploring the relationship between income and anxiety and…
After nudging: The ethical challenge of post-pandemic policymaking in the UK
This article explores the interplay between crises, opportunities and democratic change in the United Kingdom. A vast body of scholarship underlines that crises open ‘windows of opportunity’ that can occasionally lead to radical shifts in the role of the state and the design of public policy. Even when a radical shift occurs, however, it has often proved temporary, with relationships and processes quickly reverting to pre-crisis modes once the im…
Short‐term changes in financial situation have immediate mental health consequences: Implications for social policy
Poverty is associated with psychological variables such as increased anxiety, increased depression, steeper time discounting and greater risk aversion. However, less is known about whether short‐term changes in financial circumstances are coupled to immediate psychological responses. We present data from the Changing Cost of Living study, in which panels of adults in France ( n = 232) and the UK ( n = 240) completed financial and psychological su…
What principles ought to underpin ‘Radical Prevention Funds’? Ten principles capable of addressing social determinants to promote public health
The UK Government has increasingly concluded that ‘prevention is better than cure’ on the basis that preventive health interventions are more cost-effective than reactive services in delivering additional years in good health for the population. However, UK health and care systems are under intense financial pressure that preclude their shifting resources upstream to address social determinants of health. A separate Radical Prevention Fund (RPF) …
Why is income volatility associated with poor health? Longitudinal evidence from the UK and France
There is some evidence that income volatility (fluctuations in income over time) negatively affects mental and physical health, independently of the level of income. Evidence to date has examined fluctuations from year to year or from day to day, whereas a more relevant timescale might be month to month. Here, we use data from the Changing Cost of Living Study, a longitudinal panel from the UK and France with monthly data (n = 484). We examine th…
Exploring UK residents’ views on substantive education reform: Adversarially co-produced narratives indicate fluidity in support
Substantive reform capable of addressing multiple crises within the UK education system is often rejected on the basis that public opposition to tax and investment precludes politicians from implementing reform, even though policymakers may otherwise wish to do so. Here, we analyse data from a methodologically diverse series of surveys (1) n = 693; (2) n = 10; (3) n = 2,200 of adult UK residents conducted between November 2023-January 2024 examin…
Why Britain needs a new Beveridge and why politicians need to defer to the evidence
Anxiety, Insecurity, and Redistribution in the UK ‘Red Wall’: Have Policy Preferences Changed Since the Covid-19 Pandemic
Anxiety is often seen as a driver of far-right politics in British political culture that is strategically irrational insofar as the consequences of the policies pursued by such parties contribute to an increase in poverty and inequality, which are drivers of anxiety. This article shows that anxiety can also drive voter support for strategically rational, progressive policies, which hold out a real prospect for addressing the threats that voters …
What Do People Want From a Welfare System? Conjoint Survey Evidence From UK Adults
What do people want from a welfare system? Previous research has suggested a list of desiderata, such as that the system: reduces poverty; reduces inequality; improves mental and physical health; costs little; and rewards only the deserving. How do these different features trade off against one another to determine overall desirability? We conducted a conjoint survey experiment with 800 UK‐resident adults, presenting them with hypothetical welfar…
Economics (19 works) · Political science (19 works) · Employment and Welfare Studies (13 works) · Medicine (11 works) · Health disparities and outcomes (9 works) · Law (9 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Social Policy and Reform Studies (9 works) · Economic growth (8 works) · Law (8 works)