A large majority of Americans believe that transgender people should compete in sports based on their birth sex
66% believe the same criteria should be applied to official documents such as passports or driver's licenses. The data are part of a Gallup poll known as Values and Beliefs conducted from May 1-18.
Trans flag
A significant majority (two-thirds) of Americans support policies that prioritize biological sex over gender identity for trans people.
According to the data, 69% of adults believe that transgender athletes should compete only on teams that correspond with their birth sex, while 66% believe that the same criteria should apply to official documents such as passports or driver's licenses.
The data are part of the survey conducted by Gallup known as Values and Beliefs that was conducted from May 1-18. In this study, for the first time, a question was included asking whether government documents—such as passports or driver's licenses—should reflect sex assigned at birth or gender identity.
In contrast, the question on the participation of transgender people in sports teams has been measured twice before.
Opinions in political parties
In that regard, opinions within the Democratic Party show nuances depending on the specific issue.
For example, a slight majority (54%) of Democrats believe that trans people should have the right to reflect their current gender identity on official documents such as passports or driver's licenses. However, support wanes when it comes to the sports arena: only 45% believe that transgender people should be able to compete on teams that correspond with their gender identity.
Also, 14% of Democrats state that they have no definite position on trans athletes' participation in sports.
Support for saving women's sports on the rise
The poll also revealed a steady decline in support for transgender athletes competing on teams that match their gender identity. In 2021, when Gallup first asked this question, 34% of respondents supported that stance. By 2023, that support had dropped eight percentage points, and in the most recent measurement it fell another two points, marking a downward trend.
In addition, support for trans policies has also declined markedly among independent and Democratic voters.
According to the study, between 2021 and 2025, support for transgender athletes competing on teams that match their current gender identity dropped by 10 percentage points in both groups. Currently, only 45% of Democrats and 23% of independents favor such a measure.
A majority say changing gender is morally wrong
.
Similarly, 40 % of U.S. adults believe that changing gender is morally acceptable, a drop of six percentage points compared to 2021. In contrast, the percentage of those who believe this action is morally wrong remains stable at 54 %, with no significant variation from previous years.
Positions vary considerably by political affiliation: 71 % of Democrats, 45 % of Independents and only 9 % of Republicans consider gender change morally acceptable. Since 2021, Republicans have shown the largest decline in this type of acceptance, down 13 percentage points.
The study, for the first time, measured Americans' beliefs about the cause of transgender identity.
A majority of adults believe that this identity is due more to external factors such as environment and upbringing (50%) than to biological causes (30%). The question is comparable to another one Gallup has been asking since 1977 about the origin of being gay or lesbian, in which 45% of Americans currently believe it is innate, while 38% attribute it to external influences.
LATEST
