Different dimensions, different vulnerabilities: Intersectional energy poverty in India

George, Mel, Clarke, Leon, Hultman, Nathan, Pachauri, Shonali ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8138-3178, Patwardhan, Anand, Pelz, Setu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3528-8679, & McJeon, Haewon (2026). Different dimensions, different vulnerabilities: Intersectional energy poverty in India. Energy Research & Social Science 140 e104930. 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104930.

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Abstract

Energy poverty is multidimensional, yet empirical studies of social disadvantage commonly treat it as a single outcome or examine socioeconomic factors independently. We investigate whether overlapping disadvantages shape different dimensions of energy poverty in different ways. Using nationally representative household data from India, we examine intersections of caste, rural location, education and income poverty across reliable access, affordability and energy-service provision for electricity and cooking fuels. Ordered logistic regressions and distributional comparisons show that households experiencing multiple disadvantages generally face substantially greater energy deprivation, but the strength and direction of these relationships vary across dimensions and fuels. The clearest reversal occurs in cooking-fuel affordability: urban poor households face greater monetary burdens than similarly deprived rural households because rural households can substitute collected biomass for purchased fuels. This apparent affordability advantage conceals substantial unpaid fuel-collection burdens borne disproportionately by women. The results show that intersectional disadvantage cannot be represented consistently by a single energy-poverty indicator. Measures based only on connections, expenditure or aggregate indices can therefore identify different vulnerable populations and imply different policy priorities. Energy-poverty measurement and policy targeting should distinguish among energy services, dimensions of deprivation and the social groups experiencing them.

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