The release of the Kantar DIVA Curve Survey 2026 coincided with Lesbian Visibility Week (20–26 April), bringing focused attention to how identity influences access to medical services and everyday safety. The study examines the lived experience of people who identify as LGBTQIA+, concentrating on women and non-binary respondents, and asks whether cultural visibility has translated into practical protection and trust in health systems.
To capture an international picture the survey questioned exactly 3,212 individuals across the UK, US, India, South Africa and Germany. The results reveal that official progress and public recognition have not fully closed the gap that determines whether someone feels safe seeking care. These findings are a prompt to policymakers, providers and community groups to assess how visibility interacts with everyday decision-making about health.
Healthcare avoidance and the trust gap
The research found that more than one in three LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people have either postponed or avoided medical appointments because they feared being treated unfairly. Alongside this, almost half of respondents reported leaving a clinical interaction feeling dismissed, misunderstood or not taken seriously because of their identity. That combination of avoidance and negative experience forms a clear trust gap that carries real consequences: delayed diagnoses, interrupted treatments and greater long-term costs for individuals and systems alike.
Safety at home versus public life
Feelings of personal safety diverge sharply depending on setting. Around 62% of survey participants said they felt very safe in their own homes, yet confidence fell steeply in public environments. Only about one in four respondents reported feeling very safe in social places such as bars, cafes and restaurants, or while using public transport. This split highlights how private security can coexist with public vulnerability, shaping whether people venture out for routine care or decide to delay visits because leaving home feels risky.
Psychological and practical impacts
When people assess the cost of seeking care they weigh not only clinical risk but also emotional labour. The survey underlines how the spectre of discrimination forces constant decision-making about visibility: whether to disclose identity, which practitioners to trust, and when to seek help. As Lady Phyll, executive director of the DIVA Charitable Trust, has argued, conditional visibility can push people to change life decisions to remain safe. Former athlete Dame Kelly Holmes also emphasised the emotional toll of ever-present safety calculations and spoke in support of efforts that raise awareness and improve representation.
Who produced the research and what it means
The survey was produced by Kantar in partnership with the DIVA Charitable Trust and the Curve Foundation. Kantar is known for creating the world’s first inclusion index, and the research is intended to inform the campaigns that mark Lesbian Visibility Week in different countries. The study’s international sample and consistent patterns across territories underscore that these challenges are not limited to one place; they reflect systemic issues in how health services and public spaces respond to gender and sexual diversity.
Using the findings to drive change
The data offers concrete entry points for action: expand cultural competency training for clinicians, collect better disaggregated data on gender and sexuality, invest in targeted outreach so people feel safe booking appointments, and ensure funding reaches organisations led by LGBTQIA+ women and gender diverse people. Strengthening trust requires both procedural changes inside health services and cultural shifts outside them. Supporting queer-led media and charities such as the DIVA Charitable Trust can also help sustain visibility and advocacy that translate survey insights into real-world improvement.
In sum, the Kantar DIVA Curve Survey 2026 presents a stark message: visibility without safety leaves people making health choices out of fear. The study supplies evidence that can guide health professionals, planners and community leaders who want to close the trust gap and ensure that increased visibility becomes matched by dependable, respectful access to care for all.