A major new study has found that LGBTQ+ people in Ireland face real and widespread poverty, elevated stress and anxiety and inequalities across income, housing, employment, education and access to healthcare.

Titled Pride and Poverty: A Study of the Economic Challenges in the LGBTQ+ Community, the study was conducted by Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre, European Anti-Poverty Network Ireland (EAPN Ireland), and TASC (Think-tank for action on social change). It aims to bridge the gaps in knowledge about the economic situation of LGBTQ+ people in Ireland.

One of the main findings of the study is that LGBTQ+ people in Ireland experience enforced deprivation at nearly three times the national rate. While the national average is 15.7%, the report found that 46.1% of those who took part in the survey are forced to go without at least two essential items (which can include food, heating, clothing, leisure activities and others).

Nearly half of those surveyed reported difficulty making ends meet. The study also highlighted the stress that comes with such financial vulnerability, finding that 54.6% of respondents experienced anxiety more than half the time.

On the topic of housing, the report found that over a third of respondents experienced at least one housing difficulty in the past year. These included rent arrears, moving because of affordability, emergency accommodation or sleeping rough.

A stark 53.6% of LGBTQ+ people still hide their identity at work, according to the Pride and Poverty report. Moreover, 58.2% of respondents reported experiencing bullying or exclusion related to their LGBTQ+ identity in school, with 7% saying that it led to them leaving education earlier than they wanted.

 

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The research also highlighted deeper inequalities within the LGBTQ+ community. Trans people experience great difficulties in accessing gender-affirming care, with over a third of respondents reporting having been on a waiting list for over three years. According to the findings, for trans people, accessing essential care is “shaped by limited pathways, prolonged delays, and significant financial exposure”.

Investigating the intersectional aspect of the issue, the Pride and Poverty report found that trans, disabled and neurodivergent LGBTQ+ people, migrants and people from ethnic minorities, and younger LGBTQ+ people face particularly high levels of stress, exclusion and economic precarity.

The report was launched on Friday, February 20, at the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The event included a panel discussion featuring TASC researcher Dr. Sara Singleton, who conducted the study, TU Dublin lecturer Dr. Emma Howard, Outhouse support worker Sarah Griffin, EAPN Ireland Director James Casey and TENI Research and Policy Manager Luna Lara Liboni.

Speaking at the launch, Outhouse CEO Oisín O’Reilly said: “LGBTQ+ people in Ireland are experiencing enforced deprivation at almost three times the national rate. That is not incidental, and it is not marginal. It tells us that economic inequality within our community is structural and persistent.

“If Ireland is serious about tackling poverty, then LGBTQ+ people must be counted in our poverty data and action plans.”

EAPN Ireland Director James Casey said the study “shines a much-needed spotlight on poverty within LGBTQ+ communities in Ireland.

“The findings highlight the urgent need for social protection, housing, employment and public services that work for everyone — and ensure LGBTQ+ communities are not left behind.”

Read the study in full here.