News (USA)

LGBTQ people have been hit harder economically by coronavirus lockdowns

A gay couple looking at a computer. They are not smiling.
Photo: Shutterstock

A new survey found that LGBTQ people have been hit harder than the general population by the global pandemic.

According to a report released by HRC and PSB Research, 30% of LGBTQ people say they have had their work hours reduced in the online poll conducted on April 15 and 16, higher than the 22% of the general population who said the same. Twice as many LGBTQ people said their personal finances were devastated as cisgender heterosexual people.

Related: LGBTQ people have a higher risk of coronavirus

Twenty percent of LGBTQ people said their finances are “much worse off” than they were last year. LGBTQ people were also twice as likely to say that they expect their finances to be worse next year. Unemployment numbers, though, are about the same for LGBTQ people.

In a statement, HRC’s president Alphonso David said that the numbers are “not surprising.”

“This new data bears out our initial predictions that LGBTQ people were likely to face greater economic hardship and is more proof that the most marginalized communities are the most at risk,” he said.

The survey also found that LGBTQ people were somewhat more likely to be taking steps to learn about and avoid the virus, like avoiding public transportation, paying attention to news, and reading online about it.

LGBTQ people were much more likely to say they trust public health organizations more than Donald Trump. Fifty-six percent of LGBTQ people said they trust the World Health Organization, while only 35% of the general population said the same. Only 14% of LGBTQ people said they trust Trump, less than the 22% for the general population.

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