Why the Swiss Said No to Free Money

What a historic vote revealed about our emotional relationship with Nature, work, money, and worth.

🇨🇭 Almost 10 years ago, 2016, Switzerland held a world-1st national referendum:

💬 Should all adults receive a Universal Basic Income (UBI)—unconditional, no strings attached?
💡 Everyone gets a basic allowance, no matter what you earn. No matter your job.

Result?
❌ 76.9% voted no
Even in one of the world’s wealthiest, securest democracies, nearly 4/5 people said: “Nope!”

So what really happened?
It wasn’t about inflation. Or budgets. Or laziness. It was about something deeper:
👉 A powerful emotional belief that money must be earned through work
🧠 "You don’t get something for nothing"
💼 "Only work creates worth"
💸 "No work = no pay"

Even people who supported the idea felt uneasy. As if receiving money without producing something violated a deep inner contract. Switzerland just happened to put it to a vote.

But this isn’t a Swiss story. 🌍 It’s global.

So, here’s the real question:
💡 What about all the value we create for the planet that isn’t paid?

• 🌍 Protecting Nature
• 🚆 Choosing the train over the car
• 🛒 Buying local and seasonal
• 🏘️ Sharing resources instead of consuming more
• 🔄 Repairing, reusing, recycling

These are all acts of stewardship. They reduce harm. They restore balance. They bring long-term value for everyone.

But in today’s economy?
⚠️ They often count for nothing
💥 Or worse—they’re actively disincentivised

Why?
Because a product or behaviour that harms people or the planet…
…can still dominate in market value, while those that care, protect, or sustain don’t.

🧾 In other words: the system rewards exploitation over stewardship.

🌀 The series ahead
In this 7-part series, we’ll explore:

• ✅ Why we tie money to personal worth
• ✅ How this shapes our emotional resistance to change
• ✅ What it would mean to value stewardship as well as productivity
• ✅ How mydio.com introduces a second, complementary form of credit or value creation—one rooted in care, sustainability and shared benefit

It's not about rejecting money.
It’s about balance!

⏩ Up next: Money = Work = Worth: A Story We’ve All Inherited

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💬 And tell us below:
Have you ever felt like your ecological or social choices were invisible in the economy—despite being so valuable?

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