Global survey links LGBT-phobia to economic hardship

A global survey of more than 82,000 LGBTQ+ individuals across 153 countries has revealed a strong link between LGBTQ-phobia and economic insecurity, with serious consequences for health and well-being. The study, conducted by researchers from CNRS, UNAIDS and the LGBT Foundation and published in Nature Human Behaviour, examined discrimination at institutional, community and family levels.

The findings show that family rejection is the most damaging form of LGBT-phobia, with those facing hostility at home reporting significantly lower life satisfaction. Economic hardship intensifies this impact: respondents in precarious financial situations were more likely to experience rejection and reported poorer well-being. Conversely, economic security reduced the negative effects of discrimination by nearly half. Countries with high income inequality exhibited the strongest correlation between LGBT-phobia and economic vulnerability.

Regional disparities were stark. LGBTQ+ individuals in the Middle East and North Africa reported the lowest average happiness scores, followed by Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Latin America, by contrast, had the highest proportion of respondents who said they were thriving. Alarmingly, more than one in five participants worldwide reported experiencing physical assault linked to their sexual orientation or gender identity, with the highest rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly half said their families did not accept them.

Researchers argue that these findings demand urgent policy action. They recommend targeted social programmes for economically vulnerable LGBTQ+ individuals, stronger legal protections against discrimination, and public health measures that address the intersection of poverty and prejudice.