Institutions, attitudes, and LGBTQ+ population: evidence from the extractive sector in UK - PEGFA Seminar

25th Mar 2026 12pm - 1:45pm

Greenwich Campus

QA044

This event is part of PEGFA’s seminar series where current research papers are presented and discussed. It will be split into two sessions. In the first talk we will hear Luca Tasciotti present their paper on 'Institutions, attitudes, and LGBTQ+ population: evidence from the extractive sector in UK', which is described in the abstract below.

Details on the first talk and other PEGFA seminars

This paper examines whether historical mining activity has shaped the contemporary spatial distribution of LGBTQ+ populations in the United Kingdom. Using census data, we relate the presence of coal and mineral mines in 1921 to present-day measures of LGBTQ+ population shares derived from the most recent UK Census. Controlling for a set of covariates, we find a positive association between historical mining presence and the size of today’s LGBTQ+ population. Counties with mining and mineral activity in the early twentieth century nowadays exhibit significantly higher concentrations of LGBTQ+ residents than comparable non-mining counties.

We interpret these findings through the lens of cultural persistence and selective migration. Mining communities were characterised by rapid industrial expansion, high levels of in-migration, weaker traditional elites, and comparatively lower influence of religious institutions, conditions that may have fostered more tolerant social norms. We provide evidence that former mining areas today display more progressive social attitudes and lower historical religious intensity, as well as patterns of in- and out-migration consistent with LGBTQ+ sorting over time. Our results suggest that historical economic structures can leave long-lasting imprints on local cultural environments, shaping the geography of sexual minority populations decades after the original industries have disappeared.

Presenter:
Luca Tasciotti

Co-authors:
George Brooke-Smith and Elissaios Papyrakis

Location:
University of Greenwich, Queen Anne Building, QA044

Teams (Online) details:

Meeting ID: 319 421 430 872 5
Passcode: N9eW6W66

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CURRENT STAFF; GENERAL PUBLIC; RESEARCH COMMUNITY

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