LGBT Adults Aged 50 and Older in the US During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Executive Summary

LGBT older adults, defined in this study as those over 50 years old, face significant and unique challenges to health and well-being as they age. They are more likely than their straight/cisgender peers to experience social and economic barriers that prevent healthy aging. Research has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased economic and social instability for LGBT people of all ages. However, precarity is not new for LGBT older adults and COVID-19 may be viewed as part of a continuum of disruptive events that impact the aging experiences of LGBT older adults.

Using data from the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey (HPS) collected July 21, 2021 to August 8, 2022, we explore the demographics, health, and economic experiences of older LGBT adults during the COVID-19 pandemic as compared with straight/cisgender older adults. This analysis used the first U.S. Census Bureau data that has included questions about sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), which gives researchers an opportunity to use a nationally representative sample to describe the health and well-being of LGBT and straight/cisgender older adults. The analytic sample was limited to 533,179 survey respondents who were over age 50 and could be classified as LGBT or non-LGBT based on their responses to the survey questions.

Key Findings

Demographic Characteristics

• More people aged 50–64 identified as LGBT than those aged 65 years and older (4.4% vs. 2.4%, respectively).
• In both 50–64 and 65+ age cohorts, more men than women identified as LGBT; the opposite is true for younger LGBT adults.
• In both the age cohorts, more LGBT than straight/cisgender adults obtained higher levels of education (50–64 cohort: 67% vs. 59%; 65+ cohort: 71% vs. 57%, respectively), and more LGBT adults lived alone (50–64 cohort: 18% vs. 8%; 65+ cohort: 25% vs. 15%, respectively).
• Although far more LGBT people had never been married (50–64 cohort: 36% vs. 8%; 65+ cohort: 29% vs. 4%, respectively), LGBT and straight/cisgender people had similar rates of divorce/separation in both cohorts (50–64 cohort: 20% vs. 21%; 65+ cohort: 21% vs. 17%, respectively).

• Overall, LGBT people showed more economic insecurity compared to straight/cisgender people. In both cohorts, more LGBT than straight/cisgender people received SNAP benefits and had household incomes that fell below 100% of the federal poverty level.
• Not only did LGBT people have lower incomes and were more food insecure than straight/ cisgender people, they also more frequently depended on alternative forms of income and assistance to support themselves, such as relying on credit cards or loans, savings or retirement accounts, borrowing money from friends and family, and government nutrition and rental assistance to supplement their incomes.
• Additionally in both cohorts, more LGBT people than straight/cisgender people rented their homes instead of owned them (50–64 cohort: 31% vs. 21%; 65+ cohort: 21% vs. 13%, respectively).

Among LGBT people there was pronounced economic disparity by race/ethnicity. In both cohorts, more Black, Hispanic, and Multiracial LGBT adults had household incomes that fell below the federal poverty level compared to White and Asian LGBT adults. Among those aged 50–64, exponentially more Black LGBT people were receiving SNAP benefits, while few Asian LGBT people were. In the 65+ cohort more Hispanic than White LGBT people were receiving SNAP benefits.

Additionally, compared to White LGBT people, more Black LGBT adults from both cohorts reported not having enough food to eat (50–64 cohort: 9% vs. 15%; 65+ cohort: 3% vs. 14%), renting rather than owning their homes (50–64 cohort: 24% vs. 53%; 65+ cohort: 18% vs. 51%), and having trouble paying household expenses (50–64 cohort: 28% vs. 46%; 65+ cohort: 18% vs. 41% ).

• Compared to White LGBT people, more Hispanic LGBT adults from both cohorts reported not having enough food to eat (50–64 cohort: 9% vs. 21%; 65+ cohort: 3% vs. 14%), renting rather than owning their homes (50–64 cohort: 24% vs. 46%; 65+ cohort: 18% vs. 39%), having trouble paying household expenses (50–64 cohort: 28% vs. 47%; 65+ cohort: 18% vs. 40%), and keeping the temperature of their homes at unsafe levels (50–64 cohort: 20% vs 33%; 65+ cohort: 14% vs. 27%).
• In both cohorts, compared to White LGBT adults, Multiracial LGBT adults reported keeping the temperature of their homes at an unsafe level (50–64 cohort: 20% vs. 31%; 65+ cohort: 14% vs. 33%, respectively).
• Additionally, among those 65 years of age and older, the proportion of Black and Hispanic LGBT people who reported living in poverty, being food insecure, having trouble paying bills, expenses, and rent were about twice that of White LGBT people.

Health and Well-Being

• In both age cohorts, almost all LGBT people had received a COVID-19 vaccine and this proportion was slightly higher than among the straight/cisgender cohorts.
• Additionally, in both age cohorts, White and Asian LGBT adults showed the highest rates of COVID-19 vaccination.
• Among those who had not received the vaccine, more LGBT than straight/cisgender adults in both cohorts said they planned to get the vaccine (50-64 cohort: 23% vs.; 65+ cohort: 21% vs. 15%, respectively).
• Similar proportions of LGBT and straight/cisgender people in both cohorts had tested positive or been diagnosed with COVID-19 (50–64 cohort: 38% vs. 41%; 65+ cohort: 25% vs. 28%, respectively).
• Among the 50–64 cohort, 50% of Asian, 46% of Hispanic, 43% of Multiracial, 36% of White, and 30% of Black LGBT adults said they had COVID-19.
• Among the 65+ cohort, 45% of Hispanic, 36% of Asian, 23% of Multiracial, 22% of White, and 14% of White LGBT adults said they had COVID-19.

• In both cohorts, more LGBT than straight/cisgender people reported experiencing anxiety and depression symptoms (sx).
• In addition, more LGBT than straight/cisgender people in both cohorts were prescribed medication for their mental health (50–64 cohort: 35% vs. 23%; 65+ cohort: 29% vs. 20%, respectively), were going to therapy (50–64 cohort: 18% vs. 8%; 65+ cohort: 9% vs. 5%, respectively), and reported needing help from a mental health professional but not getting it (50–64 cohort: 16% vs. 8%; 65+ cohort: 7% vs. 4%, respectively).
• Compared to White LGBT people, more Multiracial LGBT people were experiencing anxiety and depression symptoms in the 50–64 cohort (Anxiety sx: 30% vs. 40%; Depression sx: 22% vs. 31%, respectively), and more Multiracial LGBT people were experiencing depression symptoms in the 65+ cohort (12% vs. 36%, respectively).

• Compared to White and Multiracial LGBT people in the 50–64 cohort, fewer Hispanic, Black, and Asian LGBT people were prescribed medication; more Multiracial LGBT people were going to therapy compared to White and Hispanic LGBT people, and more Multiracial LGBT people needed therapy but did not get it compared to White and Asian LGBT people.

• Compared to White and Black LGBT people in the 65+ cohort, fewer Asian LGBT people were prescribed medication or were going to therapy.

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