Political Ideology and Support for Tax-Funded UBI: Political Trust as a Moderation Mechanism

This study aims to investigate the systemic interplay between political ideology and political trust in shaping support for tax-funded universal basic income (UBI). Using the 2021 Korean General Social Survey (KGSS), we analyze whether individuals’ left–right ideological leanings predict their support for a tax-funded UBI, which is an important redistributive welfare system, and whether political trust moderates this relationship. The results indicate that citizens with left-leaning ideologies are more supportive of a tax-funded UBI, while those with conservative ideologies are less supportive. Additionally, conservatives become more supportive of a tax-funded UBI when they have greater political trust. These findings suggest that political trust plays a systemic role in moderating ideological divides over welfare systems like a tax-funded UBI. Finally, the article discusses the implications of the findings and their limitations.