Study Finds No Link Between Alaska's Cash Transfers and Increased Injuries or Deaths

Comprehensive 11-year analysis challenges concerns about misuse of unconditional cash payments

Published on Feb. 18, 2026

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A recent study of Alaska's Permanent Fund Dividend, a long-standing cash transfer program that provides annual payments to all state residents, found no correlation between the cash payments and increased rates of traumatic injuries or deaths. The study, conducted by researchers from NYU, UC San Francisco, and Alaska's former chief medical officer, analyzed 11 years of statewide data and provides robust evidence that unconditional cash transfers do not lead to irresponsible spending or public safety issues.

Why it matters

This research has significant implications for the growing debate around universal basic income and other cash transfer programs. It suggests that concerns about cash payments leading to harm may be unfounded, potentially paving the way for wider adoption of these programs as a means of addressing poverty and economic insecurity.

The details

The study examined data from 2009 to 2019, looking at records of traumatic injuries treated in Alaska hospitals and all reported deaths. The results showed no association between the annual cash payments from the Permanent Fund Dividend and an increase in serious traumatic injuries or deaths from unnatural causes. This pattern held true even when focusing on Alaska's urban areas, indicating the findings may be applicable beyond the state's unique context.

  • The study analyzed data from 2009 to 2019.
  • The Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend has been in place since 1982, providing annual payments to state residents.

The players

Sarah Cowan

NYU sociologist and founder/executive director of the university's Cash Transfer Lab.

Anne Zink

Alaska's chief medical officer from 2019 to 2024.

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What they’re saying

“Our long-term study of a state's population shows no connection between cash transfers and serious injury or death.”

— Sarah Cowan, NYU sociologist and founder/executive director of the university's Cash Transfer Lab

“This study provides the kind of population-level evidence that public health officials and policymakers demand when evaluating guaranteed income programs.”

— Anne Zink, Alaska's chief medical officer from 2019 to 2024

What’s next

Researchers plan to continue studying the long-term impacts of Alaska's Permanent Fund Dividend, including its effects on child welfare and the labor market.

The takeaway

This comprehensive study challenges the common assumption that unconditional cash transfers lead to irresponsible spending and increased public safety risks. The findings could encourage more widespread adoption of cash transfer programs as an effective tool for addressing poverty and economic insecurity.