What RISE Participants Say They Are Focused On

Cash is flexible, and because participants can use the RISE cash however they choose, understanding what participants identify as important to them is essential to understanding how the program fits into their lives. Rather than measuring change only against researcher-defined outcomes, the study asks participants directly: what are you focused on, what would help most, and what is standing in the way?

Immediate financial stabilization rises to the top #

Across these questions, the answers converge on a clear starting point. At baseline, participants are primarily focused on stabilizing their finances and meeting immediate material needs. Paying bills without falling behind is the most common priority, identified by 86% of participants. Seventy percent select money or improved finances as the single thing that would help most, and 48% say money or costs is the biggest barrier standing in the way. When asked which one of their priorities would make the biggest difference in their lives, the most common responses across all three counties are paying bills without falling behind, improving housing, and getting reliable transportation.

Participants describe change as stability and relief #

These responses reinforce that financial strain is a central feature of participants’ baseline circumstances. The data also add something more specific: participants themselves see relief from immediate financial pressure as the most meaningful form of change.

After identifying the one priority that would make the biggest difference, participants described what would be different in their daily lives if that priority were addressed. Two thirds describe changes in terms of stability: being caught up on bills, not having to choose between competing needs, or not worrying about what is due tomorrow. A smaller share describes change in more aspirational terms, such as returning to school or moving into a better job.

Even within the responses focused on relief from immediate burdens, there is an important distinction. About half are centered on emotional relief—lower stress, less worry, better sleep, feeling less overwhelmed—while the other half describe concrete, material improvements such as fixing a car or catching up on bills. Stress-centered responses are especially common among participants whose top priority is financial security. This pattern highlights something that appears throughout the baseline data: participants describe financial strain not only as a material constraint but as an ongoing drain on mental and emotional bandwidth. They are not simply trying to pay bills, they are trying to reduce the constant pressure of having to track, make trade offs, delay, and worry over expenses they cannot reliably cover.

Priorities extend beyond finances #

At the same time, participants’ priorities extend beyond finances. When asked broadly about their areas of focus, large majorities select reducing stress (84%), spending more time doing things they want to do (72%), and building savings (71%). In the first county, participants also consistently wrote in faith and spirituality as a priority even when it was not offered as a response option. Once added for subsequent counties, nearly 70% of participants named it as a priority. 

Immediate needs rise to the top #

When asked to narrow to their top three priorities, however, immediate material pressures tend to rise to the top, even as stress, time, and faith remain important parts of daily life. In interviews, stress in particular is described not as a secondary concern but as something that affects participants’ bodies, sleep, and ability to function. As one participant explained, “I get worried that my stress levels might cause some physical problems if I don’t get any kind of relief from it soon.” Another described how stress compounds with existing health conditions: when your nerves go up you do not sleep, when you do not sleep you stay worn out, and when you have health problems on top of that, the strain multiplies.

Participants also describe actively trying to manage that stress. Across qualitative interviews, faith and spirituality are among the most commonly mentioned strategies. One participant explained that she copes by giving “all my worries and cares to God,” using affirmations and prayer to manage daily pressures. 

Aspirations are present, but often contingent on stability #

Taken together, these data suggest a consistent structure to participants’ priorities at baseline. Immediate financial stabilization is central, but it sits alongside a broader set of goals: reducing stress, gaining time, strengthening relationships, and maintaining spiritual grounding. Aspirational, longer-term goals are present for many participants, but they are often described as contingent—something to pursue once they meet immediate needs and secure a basic level of stability. 

Participants’ expectations about the future are striking. When asked how they expect their overall situation in one year to compare to today, 91% say they expect things to be better, including 40% who expect things to be a little better and 50% who expect things to be much better. This optimism is widespread, even among participants facing the greatest challenges: 88% of those who describe themselves as “just surviving” expect improvement.  

The survey was administered after participants learned they had been selected for the program but before receiving their first payment. When participants overwhelmingly identify money as their biggest barrier and then find out they are about to receive $1,500 a month for the next 16 months, expecting improvement is a reasonable response. In interviews, many participants explicitly connected their hopefulness to the RISE cash itself. 

Across nearly every interview, participants described specific plans for their futures: returning to school, starting a business, changing careers, becoming more secure, giving back to their communities. These plans were almost always described in sequence. Participants struggling to meet basic needs focus first on stabilization, with longer-term goals framed as contingent on securing that foundation. The aspirational layer is almost always present, but it is typically conditional on first addressing more immediate constraints. Almost no one articulates only short-term survival needs. Almost everyone is trying to build toward something.

That context matters because optimism at baseline should not be mistaken for evidence that hardship is limited. Participants are under significant strain and still describe aspirations and hope for the future, often anchored in the expectation that additional income will make those plans more attainable. 

Download the full baseline report