Prejudice towards people living in poverty in Québec

Montréal, May 20, 2026. – The Institut de la statistique du Québec published today the results of the Québec Study on the Perception of Poverty 2024. This new study provides a statistical portrait of prejudice towards poverty and people living in poverty, from the perspective of both the general population and those affected.

A combined measure of poverty

In the survey, poverty is measured using two complementary indicators: household income according to the low income measure (LIM), and self-perceived income sufficiency to fulfill basic needs.

The combination of these two indicators shows that:

• 19% of people are living in poverty and perceive themselves as such;
• 12% are living in poverty but do not perceive themselves as such;
• 15% are not living in poverty but perceive themselves as such;
• 54% are not living in poverty and do not perceive themselves as such.

Beliefs about the causes of poverty are diverse

The results show that 38% of people aged 18 and over strongly or somewhat strongly believe that poverty is due to structural factors (e.g. people are poor due to unequal wealth distribution or lack of social justice, or because they are exploited by the rich). This proportion is especially high among people living in poverty who perceive themselves as such (52%), those receiving social assistance (55%), and people from sexual or gender minorities (55%).

Moreover, 33% of people strongly or somewhat strongly believe that poverty is associated with individual factors assigned to people living in poverty. This proportion is higher among men (37%) and people from visible or ethnic minorities (38%).

Lastly, 28% of people strongly or somewhat strongly associate poverty with factors related to fate, such as bad luck. This proportion is higher among those receiving social assistance (38%) and people from sexual or gender minorities (44%).

Negative and positive attitudes coexist

A large proportion of the population believes that people living in poverty should try harder to get out of poverty (72%) or to find work if they are healthy (76%). Furthermore, 17% of people aged 18 and over strongly or somewhat strongly hold negative attitudes regarding the efforts made by those living in poverty and their responsibility for their financial situation.

In contrast, 31% of people strongly or somewhat strongly hold positive attitudes regarding these people, and perceive them as more honest, more modest, more friendly or more resilient. These positive attitudes are more common among people who believe poverty is due to structural or fate-related factors.

Instances of poverty-related discrimination

Among people aged 18 and over living in poverty who perceive themselves as such, 28% experienced at least one discriminatory situation in the 12 months preceding the survey. These situations include discrimination in getting access to government benefits, employment, housing, or health care.

In addition, 27% of people living in poverty who perceive themselves as such reported having experienced at least one repeated discriminatory situation because of their financial situation, such as feeling that others judged, avoided or despised them. This proportion is higher among people receiving social assistance than among those who do not receive such benefits (54% vs. 22%).

Impacts on behaviours and social relationships

The results also show that nearly 34% of people living in poverty who perceive themselves as such have avoided at least one situation for fear of prejudice, such as looking for a job, taking a course, or disclosing their financial situation.

Moreover, 24% of the same group of people indicated that these preconceptions have had significant impacts on their social relationships, including with friends, family, romantic partners, their community, or with health care professionals.

The Institut de la statistique du Québec is the public body responsible for providing reliable, objective statistics about Québec society. The relevance of its work makes it a strategic ally for decision makers and an essential source of information for all those wishing to learn more about Québec.