Our research

Everything we do is grounded in evidence.

Two young adults hug in the street

Twice

LGBT+ pupils are twice as likely to have been bullied than their non-LGBT+ peers.

91%

of LGBT+ young people have heard negative language about being LGBT+ in the past year.

58%

of LGBT+ young people feel safe at school daily, vs 73% of non-LGBT+ pupils.

78%

of primary school children have heard homophobic language.

42%

of LGBT+ school pupils don’t feel safe going to school every morning.

1 in 5

LGBT+ young people are supported at home, lowering to one in 8 for trans and non-binary young people.

Change requires evidence, not just belief

At Just Like Us, we know that change requires evidence, not just belief. That’s why we regularly conduct fresh research through the likes of Cibyl and Teacher Tapp, and have been funded by corporate partners including Deloitte and JP Morgan.

From the Guardian to BBC, Just Like Us’ research is widely cited in national media, by the charity sector and government, building a credible case for the need to support LGBT+ young people.

Just Like Us has published three major research reports and regularly produces fresh insight into the experiences of young people. We also have an LGBT+ Guide for Parents, which builds on our findings.

All our research is conducted independently, with significant sample sizes of both LGBT+ and non-LGBT+ young people, so the findings speak for themselves.

We work with leading research organisations to ensure our evidence is rigorous, credible and freely available to schools, policymakers, campaigners and the media.

What’s at stake?

Our Positive Futures report found the long-term impact of LGBT+ young people not being supported:

  • LGBT+ young adults who weren’t supported growing up are half as likely to be happy
  • Three quarters of LGBT+ young adults have experienced suicidal thoughts
  • LGBT+ young adults are more than twice as likely to have self-harmed
  • LGBT+ young adults who weren’t supported growing up are nearly twice as likely to have experienced depression in the past year (82% vs 42%)

LGBT+ Parents report (2024)

LGBT+ families face discrimination and isolation within the school system.

Despite being part of every school community, LGBT+ families remain overlooked and excluded in education. Many schools still fail to reflect the real-world diversity of British family life — with dire consequences for their children.

Our report examines the experiences of 1,012 LGBT+ parents and their children in schools and nurseries across the UK.

What we found:

  • More than half of lesbian and gay parents face negative comments about their families, and 42% of their children have experienced remarks about having LGBT+ parents

  • Only one in five LGBT+ parents say their child’s school openly discusses LGBT+ families with pupils

  • A third of all LGBT+ parents say their school still refers to families as “mums and dads” by default

  • Half of lesbian and gay parents worry their child will be bullied because of who their parents are

  • The report includes ten concrete recommendations for nurseries and schools on how to become genuinely inclusive for children from all kinds of families

Positive Futures (2023)

The mental health consequences of an unsupportive childhood don’t fade with time.


Positive Futures is our landmark study of 3,695 young adults aged 18 to 25, including 1,736 LGBT+ young adults.

Our report examines the link between childhood experience and long-term outcomes across mental health, wellbeing, relationships and career prospects. Our research was independently conducted by Cibyl and sponsored by Deloitte.

What we found:

  • LGBT+ young adults who weren’t supported at school and home are half as likely to be happy in early adulthood – and three times more likely to lack confidence they’ll have a career they enjoy

  • Seven in ten LGBT+ young adults have experienced suicidal thoughts or feelings, compared to four in ten of their non-LGBT+ peers

  • LGBT+ young adults are more than twice as likely to have self-harmed

  • LGBT+ young adults are three times more likely to face a mental health condition than their non-LGBT+ peers — a disparity that makes the case for early intervention hard to ignore

Growing Up LGBT+ (2021)

For many LGBT+ young people, school and home are not safe places.

Growing Up LGBT+ is our landmark study of 2,934 pupils aged 11 to 18 as well as 513 educators across the UK, examining the reality of growing up LGBT+ in British schools — and what makes the difference between a young person struggling and one who can thrive.

Our report covers the impact of school culture, home life and the Covid pandemic on LGBT+ young people, sponsored by JP Morgan.

What we found:

  • LGBT+ pupils are twice as likely to have been bullied, and 91% have heard negative language about being LGBT+ in the past year

  • Only 58% of LGBT+ young people feel safe at school on a daily basis, compared to 73% of their non-LGBT+ peers

  • Only 40% of LGBT+ teachers feel safe to come out at work

  • Positive messaging about LGBT+ topics in schools is linked to pupils having lower levels of suicidal thoughts — and the benefits extended to all pupils, not just those who are LGBT+

Further research studies

Beyond our major reports, Just Like Us regularly publishes new research as the landscape facing LGBT+ young people changes.

Independent research by Teacher Tapp, surveying 9,347 teachers across England. The majority of English schools are taking active steps to be LGBT+ inclusive, with 55% of teachers agreeing their school does so — rising to more than two thirds among secondary school teachers. However, 43% of primary school teachers neither agreed nor disagreed that their school takes active steps, suggesting that intent and visibility vary significantly. The work is far from done. Read more

In a survey of 31,875 pupils conducted with VotesforSchools, 78% of primary school children aged 9 to 11 reported hearing homophobic language — a figure that rises to 80% among secondary pupils. Many children cited TikTok as a source, with “gay” being used as a derogatory insult in online games and trends. Read more

Our research found that teachers are no more comfortable discussing LGBT+ topics than they were two years earlier — with a third citing faith as a barrier. This highlights how vital it is to provide schools with the resources and training they need. Read more

A third of teachers reported that faith had been a barrier to discussing LGBT+ topics in school, highlighting an ongoing gap in provision for pupils in faith settings. Read more

More than two thirds of lesbians said they delayed coming out due to harmful stereotypes, including being labelled “man-hating,” “over-sexualised” or “anti-trans.” Read more

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Olive’s story

When Olive first realised she was a lesbian, she became depressed and thought she was “better off not here”.

Just Like Us helped her build up her confidence, social and employment skills. Now she’s thriving and proud to be her authentic self.

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LGBT+ young people need our support more than ever

In these increasingly difficult times, LGBT+ young people really need our support and demand for our programmes is growing. Please will you make a donation to Just Like Us today?

A small amount monthly may be more manageable and would help us commit to long-term projects.

Young people’s stories

“I can live the life I was always meant to live.”

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