Global study reveals deep links between anti-LGBTQI+ prejudice and economic insecurity

By Hamida Giyasbayli

Study found out that poverty sharply intensifies the harm of anti-LGBTQI+ attitudes, with economically insecure LGBTQI+ facing deeper psychological and social damage worldwide.

A groundbreaking international study has established a connection between anti-LGBTQI+ attitudes and economic hardship across the globe revealing that LGBTQI+s who are economically precarious suffer disproportionately greater harm from structural and interpersonal prejudice. 

The research, published in Nature Human Behaviour and the result of a collaboration between the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), UNAIDS and LGBTQI+ community partners, is one of the most comprehensive analyses of its kind, covering data from more than 82,000 LGBTQI+ respondents in 153 countries.

The “Global LGBTQ+ Happiness Survey,” the centerpiece of this research, looked at multiple forms of homophobia at institutional, community and family levels alongside participants’ socioeconomic conditions. The findings make clear that not all LGBTQI+s are affected equally: economic precarity intensifies the psychological and social damage caused by homophobia. Those facing financial instability reported significantly lower levels of subjective well-being and higher exposure to rejection, particularly within families and local communities.

Economic security, by contrast, appears to act as a buffer. The study found that the negative association between a homophobic environment and individual well-being was nearly halved for those with financial stability, compared with LGBTQI+ in precarious economic situations. This means that wealthier LGBTQI+s can partially “escape” or mitigate the emotional toll of prevailing anti-LGBTQ+ prejudice, an advantage not available to their economically vulnerable peers.

Across diverse global regions, the study identified family rejection as the most harmful form of prejudice. Interpersonal hostilities within households often undermined well-being more than broader institutional discrimination, underscoring the profound emotional impact of intimate social rejection.

Regional disparities were pronounced. Participants in the Middle East and North Africa reported the lowest subjective well-being, followed by those in Eastern Europe and Central Asia regions where structural homophobia and economic inequities intersect with limited legal and social protections for LGBTQI+s.

The authors of the study emphasize that the implications extend far beyond academic understanding. They warn that the combined weight of economic insecurity and homophobia can diminish LGBTQ+s’ capacity to cope with social and health risks including increased exposure to unsafe sexual practices and barriers in accessing essential health services.

A particularly notable finding is that participants unaware of their HIV status reported some of the lowest well-being scores, further linking social stigma with obstacles to preventative and general health care.

Based on these insights, researchers argue for targeted public policies that do more than challenge discrimination in the abstract. Instead, they call for interventions that address the compounded vulnerabilities experienced by LGBTQI+s in the lowest economic strata  including anti-bias education, economic supports, and inclusive public health strategies.

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