Experiences of Poverty Stigma and Mental Health in the UK

More than 14 million people in the United Kingdom (UK) are currently living in poverty, and the number of people experiencing deep poverty is increasing (Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2024). Poverty is a major cause of mental ill-health (Knifton and Inglis, 2020). This is because people living in poverty are more likely to experience stressful situations such as financial instability, inadequate housing and food insecurity that lead to anxiety and depression (Brisson et al., 2020).

There is increasing recognition amongst policy makers of the impact that poverty stigma can have on communities. For example, the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Poverty launched an inquiry into the causes and consequences of poverty stigma in January 2022 (McLean, 2023). Stigma occurs when individuals are labelled as being different and are subsequently subjected to negative stereotypes and discrimination (Hatzenbuehler et al., 2013).

Previous qualitative research in the UK and internationally has documented how people living on low incomes experience various forms of mistreatment, rejection, and exclusion from other people as well as institutions such as social security services (Inglis et al., 2019). Our recent systematic review also found evidence, predominantly from qualitative studies, that experiences of poverty stigma are associated with a range of mental health and well-being outcomes (Inglis et al., 2023).

We build on this existing research here by quantitatively examining how experiences of poverty stigma are related to mental health outcomes in the UK. Our aim was to understand the impact of poverty stigma and who is most affected in order to inform solutions.