Titled LGBTQ+ Life in the UK: 2026, the landmark report draws on responses from almost 3,500 LGBTQ+ people surveyed by YouGov, offering one of the most comprehensive assessments of our community’s experiences across political, social and cultural life since Stonewall’s last major research series, LGBT Britain, in 2018.
The findings highlight some improvements in public acceptance, legal protections and everyday experiences for many LGBTQ+ people. However, beneath this progress lies a growing sense of pessimism, with many respondents expressing concerns about their rights, personal safety and the willingness of public institutions to protect them.
The report also exposes a particularly stark reality for trans+ people, who consistently report worse experiences than the wider LGBTQ+ population across almost every area examined.
Progress in equality, but confidence is declining
One of the report’s central findings is the contrast between greater social acceptance and growing anxiety about the direction of LGBTQ+ equality in the UK.
Almost half (48%) of LGBTQ+ respondents believe acceptance has increased over the past decade. However, this figure falls dramatically among trans+ people, with just 26% feeling that acceptance has improved.
Meanwhile, half of all LGBTQ+ respondents (50%) are pessimistic about the future of LGBTQ+ equality in the UK. Among trans+ people, that figure rises to an alarming 80%.
Confidence in public institutions is also worryingly low. Fewer than one in five LGBTQ+ people believe politicians take their rights seriously, while fewer than one in four have confidence that the police, courts and government will protect them.
These findings suggest that while legislative and cultural progress has been made, many LGBTQ+ people remain unconvinced that their rights and freedoms are secure.
Stonewall CEO Simon Blake described the findings as a wake-up call, stressing that progress towards equality should not be mistaken for achieving it.
He said: “While we have made real progress towards equality for LGBTQ+ people, progress is not the same as arrival.”
He also called for urgent action to address the experiences of trans+ people and tackle the underlying causes of inequality and harm across the wider community.
“What this report overwhelmingly reveals is that action is needed – urgently – to address the intolerable situation in which trans+ people in the UK lives their lives.”
Simon Blake, Stonewall CEO
Trans+ people face disproportionate discrimination and insecurity
The most concerning aspect of the report is the extent to which trans+ people experience discrimination, hostility and exclusion.
Across virtually every measure, trans+ respondents reported worse outcomes than the overall LGBTQ+ population, including greater exposure to abuse, poorer mental health and wellbeing, and significantly lower confidence in their future security.
A particularly troubling finding is that 45% of trans+ people experienced harassment, intimidation or assault of a potentially criminal nature during the previous year.
Online abuse is also widespread, with almost two-thirds (64%) of trans+ respondents experiencing indirect transphobic abuse online in the month before the survey.
The report additionally highlights the experiences of LGBTQ+ people in single-sex spaces. Overall, 7% of LGBTQ+ respondents said they had been questioned about their sex assigned at birth when using these spaces. This rose to 41% of trans men and 32% of trans women, while 11% of lesbians reported similar experiences.
The findings underline the everyday challenges faced by trans+ people and raise serious questions about safety, dignity and inclusion in public life.
Belonging, family and community
Despite wider concerns about discrimination and public attitudes, the research also reveals encouraging levels of acceptance within personal relationships.
Among LGB+ respondents, 67% said they were open about their sexual orientation with family members, rising to 88% among friends.
For trans+ respondents, 52% were open about their gender identity with family, while 85% were open with friends.
Acceptance within these relationships was generally high. An overwhelming 93% of LGB+ respondents felt accepted by their families, while 99% felt accepted by their friends.
Among trans+ people, the figures were slightly lower, with 86% feeling accepted by family and 95% by friends.
These results highlight the importance of supportive personal relationships and LGBTQ+ communities, particularly at a time when wider social and political confidence is declining.
Safety and the failure to report abuse
The report’s findings on safety reveal significant gaps in the protection and support available to LGBTQ+ people.
Only 18% of respondents who experienced a potential hate incident in the previous year reported it to the police. Of those who did report an incident, more than half (54%) were dissatisfied with the police response.
This lack of confidence in reporting mechanisms is particularly concerning, suggesting that many LGBTQ+ people may feel that seeking help will not lead to meaningful action.
The combination of high levels of abuse and low confidence in the authorities raises questions about how effectively hate incidents are recognised, investigated and addressed.
Mental health and healthcare inequalities
Healthcare is another area in which the research identifies substantial inequalities.
While 18% of LGB+ respondents said healthcare staff lacked an understanding of LGB+ health needs, the figure increased to 39% among trans+ people who reported a lack of understanding of trans health needs.
The report also highlights the scale of mental health challenges across the LGBTQ+ community.
More than half (54%) of all LGBTQ+ respondents said they had considered suicide at some point in their lives, while 22% reported having attempted suicide.
Among trans+ respondents, these figures rose to 71% and 32% respectively.
These findings point to the need for accessible, informed and inclusive healthcare, alongside stronger mental health support that recognises the particular challenges faced by LGBTQ+ people.
Workplace inclusion remains unfinished business
Although many workplaces have made progress towards LGBTQ+ inclusion, the report demonstrates that employees continue to face pressure to conceal aspects of their identities.
During the previous year, 30% of LGB+ respondents had hidden or disguised their sexual orientation at work.
Among trans+ people, 46% had concealed their gender identity.
Negative behaviour also remains a concern. Around one in ten LGBTQ+ respondents had experienced negative comments or conduct related to their identity from colleagues (11%) or customers and clients (10%) during the previous year.
The findings reinforce the importance of workplace policies that go beyond simply expressing support for diversity, ensuring employees can feel safe, respected and able to be themselves.
Concerns about financial security and growing older
Looking towards the future, the research also explores financial planning, family formation and the experiences LGBTQ+ people may face as they grow older.
More than half (55%) of respondents said they lacked confidence in being financially secure during retirement.
There are also significant concerns about future care provision. Just 33% of LGBTQ+ respondents felt confident that care providers would understand their needs as an LGBTQ+ person.
For trans+ people, confidence fell to just 18%.
These findings highlight the importance of ensuring that health and social care services understand LGBTQ+ identities and experiences, particularly as people enter later life and may become increasingly reliant on professional support.
“We cannot allow another generation to grow up with the silence, fear and prejudice that so many of us did”
Sandi Toksvig
A call for renewed action
The report was introduced with a foreword by writer, broadcaster and LGBTQ+ campaigner Sandi Toksvig, who will present the findings at an event in London on 3 November.
Toksvig emphasised the importance of evidence in driving meaningful change, arguing that progress cannot simply be assumed or left to chance.
She said: “Equality is not only achievable but inevitable, even when progress is hard to see. But inevitable does not mean automatic. It takes work, and it takes evidence like this to show those in power exactly what needs to change.”
She also warned against allowing future generations to grow up experiencing the same fear and prejudice faced by previous generations.
“We cannot allow another generation to grow up with the silence, fear and prejudice that so many of us did,” she added.
The findings will inform Stonewall’s wider strategy, In unity and courage is hope, which places evidence and data at the heart of the charity’s work.
Blake said the next priority must be rebuilding trust in public institutions, creating safe and inclusive environments, improving understanding within healthcare and education, and addressing the hostility increasingly directed towards trans+ people.
He also called on the UK Government to make meaningful investment in a new LGBTQ+ Strategy, working alongside civil society organisations, businesses and other partners to develop an action plan capable of restoring the UK’s position as a world leader in LGBTQ+ rights.
Progress must be protected and strengthened
LGBTQ+ Life in the UK: 2026 offers an important reminder that equality is not a fixed destination. While the past decade has brought meaningful improvements for many LGBTQ+ people, the report demonstrates that those gains have not been experienced equally.
For trans+ people in particular, the findings reveal an increasingly difficult landscape, characterised by discrimination, insecurity and a profound lack of confidence in the future.
The research also makes clear that concerns about safety, healthcare, employment, financial security and institutional trust extend across the wider LGBTQ+ community.
Almost a decade after Stonewall’s previous landmark research, the message is clear: progress must be actively defended, inequalities must be addressed and the experiences of LGBTQ+ people must remain central to public policy and decision-making.
As the report demonstrates, acceptance alone is not enough. Meaningful equality requires action, accountability and a commitment to ensuring that every member of the LGBTQ+ community can live safely, confidently and with dignity.
