Every question, with its verbatim wording, its toplines, and a link to the pollster’s own release. Filters combine; the
address updates so any view can be shared.
Marist Pollfor NPR and PBS NewsHourYouth medical careparaphrasedMar 20–23, 2023laws criminalizing the provision of gender transition medical care to minors
Do you support or oppose laws that make it a crime to provide gender transition-related medical care to minors?
Base: 1,327 U.S. adults (MoE ±3.5); also 1,226 registered voters (MoE ±3.6)
Wording notes: criminalization framing (making care a crime) rather than a simple prohibition, which typically depresses support for the restrictionPBS reports support rose 15 points since the April 2021 wave, one of the largest movements on any trans item in this corpus
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor NPR and PBS NewsHourDrag & public expressionparaphrasedMar 20–23, 2023 state laws restricting drag shows or performances
Do you favor or oppose a law in your state that would place restrictions on drag shows or drag performances?
Base: 1,327 U.S. adults (MoE ±3.5); also 1,226 registered voters (MoE ±3.6)
Wording notes: fielded during the Tennessee drag-restriction law news cycle (SB 3 signed March 2, 2023)
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor NPR and PBS NewsHourYouth medical careparaphrasedMar 20–23, 2023 criminalizing gender-transition medical care for minors
Do you favor or oppose a law in your state that would make it a crime to provide gender-transition-related medical care to someone under the age of 18?
Base: 1,327 U.S. adults (MoE ±3.5); also 1,226 registered voters (MoE ±3.6)
Wording notes: 'criminalize' framing, which is stronger than 'ban' or 'prohibit' and is the direction the 2023 state bills actually took
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor Center for Sports Communication at Marist CollegeSportsMay 9–17, 2022 whether transgender athletes may play on teams matching gender identity or birth gender
Next, we have a question about policies for competitive sports that have separate teams for male and female athletes.
Next, we have a question about policies for competitive sports that have separate teams for male and female athletes. Do you think transgender athletes should be able to play on sports teams that match their current gender identity or should only be allowed to play on sports teams that match their birth gender?
Wording notes: uses 'birth gender'no middle option; 'Unsure' is volunteered onlypreamble establishes sex-segregated teams as the premise before the question is asked
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Should be able to play on sports teams that match their current gender identity
- Should only be allowed to play on sports teams that match their birth gender
- Vol: Unsure
Marist Pollfor Center for Sports Communication at Marist CollegeIdentity beliefsparaphrasedMay 9–17, 2022 whether birth-certificate sex is the only way to define male and female in society
Do you think defining gender as the sex listed on a person's original birth certificate is the only way to define male and female in society or is out of date, and needs to be updated to include identity?
Wording notes: the affirming alternative is loaded with 'is out of date', which supplies a reason rather than a positionno middle option; 'Unsure' is volunteered only
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Is the only way to define male and female in society
- Is out of date, and needs to be updated to include identity
- Vol: Unsure
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourContact & populationApr 7–13, 2021 personally knowing anyone transgender, including oneself
Do you personally know anyone, including yourself, who is transgender, or not?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: includes the respondent themselves in the contact measure, which inflates it slightly relative to know-someone-else itemsparty pattern is non-monotonic: independents (61%) report more contact than Democrats (53%)
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Yes, know someone who is transgender, including yourself
- No, do not know anyone
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourSportsApr 7–13, 2021 transgender students on high school teams matching gender identity
Do you think transgender students should or should not be allowed to play on sports teams that match their gender identity in high school?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: asked separately for grade school, middle school, high school and college on the same sampleno third option offered
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- They should be allowed to play
- They should not be allowed to play
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourSportsApr 7–13, 2021 bills prohibiting transgender student athletes from teams matching gender identity
Several state legislatures have proposed bills affecting the transgender community.
Several state legislatures have proposed bills affecting the transgender community. Do you support or oppose a bill that prohibits transgender student athletes from joining sports teams that match their gender identity?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: preamble frames the policy as one of a wave of 'bills affecting the transgender community', which cues a civil-liberties rather than a fairness-in-sport readingparty differences almost vanish on this item (Dem 25, Rep 29, Ind 28 support) even though the same sample splits 75/17 by party on the directly worded sports item - strong evidence the preamble, not the policy, is driving the response
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourSportsparaphrasedApr 7–13, 2021 transgender students on teams matching gender identity, by level of schooling
Do you think transgender students should or should not be allowed to play on sports teams that match their gender identity in grade school? [asked separately for middle school, high school and college]
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: four-level series on one sample producing a remarkably flat gradient (47-50% allow across all levels)
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Should be allowed
- Should not be allowed
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourNondiscriminationparaphrasedApr 7–13, 2021 support for the 2021 Equality Act
Do you support or oppose the 2021 Equality Act?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: names a bill by title; support for named bills is sensitive to whether the contents are described
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourYouth medical careparaphrasedApr 7–13, 2021 state laws prohibiting or criminalizing gender transition medical care for minors
Several state legislatures have proposed bills affecting the transgender community.
Do you support or oppose a bill that prohibits gender transition-related medical care for minors? [and, separately, a bill that makes it a crime to provide such care]
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: shares the 'bills affecting the transgender community' preamble with the sports-ban item, so the same framing caveat applies
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourSportsApr 7–13, 2021 trans students on teams matching gender identity, asked separately by school level
Should transgender students be allowed to play on sports teams that match their gender identity?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: repeated across four school levels, allowing an age-graded reading
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Should be allowed
- Should not be allowed
- Unsure
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourSportsparaphrasedApr 7–13, 2021 state bills banning trans students from teams matching gender identity
Do you favor or oppose a law in your state that would prohibit transgender students from playing on the sports team that matches their gender identity?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: asks about a state bill rather than about the underlying behaviour, producing markedly lower support than the direct participation items in the same poll
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourYouth medical careparaphrasedApr 7–13, 2021 state laws banning gender-transition medical care for minors
Do you favor or oppose a law in your state that would ban gender-transition-related medical care for people under the age of 18?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourYouth medical careparaphrasedApr 7–13, 2021 criminalizing providers of gender-transition care for minors
Do you favor or oppose a law in your state that would make it a crime for a health care provider to give gender-transition-related medical care to someone under the age of 18?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: 'crime' framing produces lower support than the plain 'ban' framing in the same poll
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourContact & populationparaphrasedApr 7–13, 2021 knowing a transgender person
Do you personally know someone who is transgender?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: independents report the highest contact rate (61%), higher than either party - an unusual pattern worth checking against the topline
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourNondiscriminationApr 7–13, 2021 2021 Equality Act
Existing civil rights laws currently protect people from discrimination in the areas of housing, employment, and public accommodation based on race, sex, religion, and other characteristics. The 2021 Equality Act would add sexual orientation and gender identity to these laws. Do you support or oppose the 2021 Equality Act?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: carries a two-sentence explanatory preamble describing current lawdescribes the Act's effect before asking for an opinion
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourSportsApr 7–13, 2021 state bill barring trans student athletes
Several state legislatures have proposed bills affecting the transgender community.
Do you support or oppose a bill that prohibits transgender student athletes from joining sports teams that match their gender identity?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: shared preamble naming state legislaturesrestrictive policy is the 'support' pole
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourYouth medical careApr 7–13, 2021 state bill prohibiting gender transition-related medical care for minors
Several state legislatures have proposed bills affecting the transgender community.
Do you support or oppose a bill that prohibits gender transition-related medical care for minors?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: shared preamble naming state legislaturesrestrictive policy is the 'support' pole
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourYouth medical careApr 7–13, 2021 state bill criminalizing provision of gender transition-related medical care to minors
Several state legislatures have proposed bills affecting the transgender community.
Do you support or oppose a bill that criminalizes providing gender transition-related medical care for minors?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: shared preamble naming state legislatures'criminalizes' names the sanction explicitly
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourSportsApr 7–13, 2021 trans students on teams matching gender identity - grade school
Do you think transgender students should or should not be allowed to play on sports teams that match their gender identity in grade school?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: asked separately for four school levels
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Should
- Should not
- Vol: Unsure
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourSportsApr 7–13, 2021 trans students on teams matching gender identity - middle school
Do you think transgender students should or should not be allowed to play on sports teams that match their gender identity in middle school?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: asked separately for four school levels
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Should
- Should not
- Vol: Unsure
Marist Pollfor NPR/PBS NewsHourSportsApr 7–13, 2021 trans students on teams matching gender identity - college
Do you think transgender students should or should not be allowed to play on sports teams that match their gender identity in college?
Base: 1,066 registered voters, MoE +/- 3.5 percentage points
Wording notes: asked separately for four school levels
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Should
- Should not
- Vol: Unsure
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonIdentity beliefsparaphrasedMay 12–14, 2016 whether birth certificate sex is the only valid definition of gender
the sex listed on a person's birth certificate is the only way to define a person's gender [versus] that definition is outdated and needs to be updated to include a person's gender identity
Birth certificate sex is the only way to define gender
45%
Definition is outdated and should include gender identity
41%
- Sample
- 507 adults · ±4.4 percentage points; the error margin was not adjusted for sample weights and increases for cross-tabulations
- Method
- probability RDD
- Where
- US national
- Source
- Pollster release↗(opens another site)
Full record
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: the affirming alternative is labelled by calling the opposing view 'outdated', which is an evaluative rather than descriptive contrast
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Birth certificate sex is the only way to define gender
- That definition is outdated and needs to include gender identity
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonNondiscriminationparaphrasedMay 12–14, 2016 equal protection for transgender people in employment and housing
Should the transgender community receive equal protection in employment and housing?
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: 'equal protection' framing produces near-ceiling support (90%)
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonBathrooms & facilitiesparaphrasedMay 12–14, 2016 equal rights for transgender people in public restrooms
Should transgender people have equal rights in public restrooms?
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: abstract 'equal rights' framing, contrasted within the same survey against a concrete choose-your-restroom item that scored 21 points lower
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonBathrooms & facilitiesparaphrasedMay 12–14, 2016 whether public restrooms should be sex-separated or gender neutral
public restrooms should be separated as male and female and should not be gender neutral [versus should be gender neutral]
Should be separated as male and female
60%
Should be gender neutral
31%
- Sample
- 507 adults · ±4.4 percentage points; the error margin was not adjusted for sample weights and increases for cross-tabulations
- Method
- probability RDD
- Where
- US national
- Source
- Pollster release↗(opens another site)
Full record
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: conflates the separate questions of sex-segregation and transgender access
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Should be separated as male and female
- Should be gender neutral
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonBathrooms & facilitiesparaphrasedMay 12–14, 2016 allowing transgender people to choose the restroom matching their identity
Should transgender individuals be allowed to choose the public restroom with which they identify?
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: 'allowed to choose' framing emphasises individual selection rather than matching an existing identity, which some respondents read as unconstrained
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonContact & populationparaphrasedMay 12–14, 2016 knowing someone transgender or gender fluid
Do you know someone who is transgender or gender fluid?
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: bundles transgender and gender fluid into one contact measure, so it is not directly comparable to transgender-only contact items
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonIdentity beliefsMay 12–14, 2016 whether birth-certificate sex is the only way to define gender
Do you think defining gender as the sex listed on a person's original birth certificate: Is the only way to define male and female in society or Is out of date, and needs to be updated to include identity?
Is the only way to define male and female in society
45%
Is out of date, and needs to be updated to include identity
41%
Unsure
14%
- Sample
- 507 adults · ±4.4 percentage points; the error margin was not adjusted for sample weights and increases for cross-tabulations
- Method
- probability RDD
- Where
- US national
- Source
- Pollster release↗(opens another site)
Full record · 22 subgroup figures
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: labels the second alternative 'out of date', which imports a judgment into the option itself'original birth certificate' rules out amended documents
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Is the only way to define male and female in society
- Is out of date, and needs to be updated to include identity
- Unsure
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonGeneral acceptanceMay 12–14, 2016 perceived change in acceptance of transgender and gender fluid people over ten years
Today, some people describe themselves as transgender or gender fluid. Transgender refers to people who live out their gender in a way that does not match the sex noted on their birth certificate, or who physically change their sex. Gender fluid refers to those for whom gender identity varies.
Today, some people describe themselves as transgender or gender fluid. Transgender refers to people who live out their gender in a way that does not match the sex noted on their birth certificate, or who physically change their sex. Gender fluid refers to those for whom gender identity varies. Compared with ten years ago, do you think there is more acceptance or less acceptance of transgender or gender fluid people today?
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: supplies an explicit definition of transgender and gender fluid before the item'about the same' is available but not read as an offered alternative
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- More acceptance
- Less acceptance
- About the same
- Unsure
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonNondiscriminationMay 12–14, 2016 equal rights and protections in jobs and employment
Do you think transgender people should or should not have the same rights and protections as other Americans when it comes to each of the following: Jobs and employment?
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: 'same rights and protections as other Americans' is an equality frame that draws near-universal agreement
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonNondiscriminationMay 12–14, 2016 equal rights and protections in housing
Do you think transgender people should or should not have the same rights and protections as other Americans when it comes to each of the following: Housing?
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: same equality frame as the employment item
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonBathrooms & facilitiesMay 12–14, 2016 equal rights and protections in public restrooms
Do you think transgender people should or should not have the same rights and protections as other Americans when it comes to each of the following: Public restrooms?
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: identical equality stem to the jobs and housing items, which makes the 26-point drop attributable to the domain rather than the wording
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonBathrooms & facilitiesMay 12–14, 2016 whether transgender people may choose the restroom matching their identity
Do you think transgender or gender fluid people: Should be allowed to choose the public restroom with which they identify or Should be required to follow the sex on their birth certificate in using a public restroom?
Should be required to follow the sex on their birth certificate in using a public restroom
44%
Should be allowed to choose the public restroom with which they identify
43%
Unsure
12%
- Sample
- 507 adults · ±4.4 percentage points; the error margin was not adjusted for sample weights and increases for cross-tabulations
- Method
- probability RDD
- Where
- US national
- Source
- Pollster release↗(opens another site)
Full record · 16 subgroup figures
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: uses 'the sex on their birth certificate' rather than 'birth gender' or 'sex assigned at birth'no middle option offered
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Should be allowed to choose the public restroom with which they identify
- Should be required to follow the sex on their birth certificate in using a public restroom
- Unsure
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonBathrooms & facilitiesMay 12–14, 2016 sex-separated versus gender-neutral public restrooms
Which comes closer to your view: Public restrooms should be separated as male and female and not gender neutral or Public restrooms should be gender neutral and designed for anyone to use?
Public restrooms should be separated as male and female and not gender neutral
60%
Public restrooms should be gender neutral and designed for anyone to use
31%
Unsure
9%
- Sample
- 507 adults · ±4.4 percentage points; the error margin was not adjusted for sample weights and increases for cross-tabulations
- Method
- probability RDD
- Where
- US national
- Source
- Pollster release↗(opens another site)
Full record · 9 subgroup figures
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: asks about restroom architecture generally rather than about transgender access, so it measures a different object than the rest of the battery
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Public restrooms should be separated as male and female and not gender neutral
- Public restrooms should be gender neutral and designed for anyone to use
- Unsure
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonContact & populationMay 12–14, 2016 personally knowing a transgender or gender fluid person
Do you personally know someone who is transgender or gender fluid?
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: broader than the CNN/ORC 'family member or close friend' formulation, which is why it returns a much higher rate (39% vs. 14%) in the same month
Response options as the pollster wrote them
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonIdentity beliefsparaphrasedMay 12–14, 2016 whether birth-certificate sex is the only way to define gender
45% of Americans think the sex listed on a person's birth certificate is the only way to define a person's gender. 41% of residents, though, think that definition is outdated and needs to be updated to include a person's gender identity.
Birth certificate sex is the only way to define gender
45%
Definition is outdated and should be updated to include gender identity
41%
- Sample
- 507 adults · ±4.4 percentage points; the error margin was not adjusted for sample weights and increases for cross-tabulations
- Method
- probability RDD
- Where
- US national
- Source
- Pollster release↗(opens another site)
Full record · 11 subgroup figures
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: forced choice with no explicit middle option
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- The sex listed on a person's birth certificate is the only way to define a person's gender
- That definition is outdated and needs to be updated to include a person's gender identity
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonGeneral acceptanceparaphrasedMay 12–14, 2016 perceived change in acceptance of transgender and gender fluid people over the past decade
Despite the divide about how gender should be defined, most Americans, 80%, think greater acceptance of transgender and gender fluid people exists in today's society than a decade ago.
Greater acceptance exists today than a decade ago
80%
- Sample
- 507 adults · ±4.4 percentage points; the error margin was not adjusted for sample weights and increases for cross-tabulations
- Method
- probability RDD
- Where
- US national
- Source
- Pollster release↗(opens another site)
Full record
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: only the majority share is published; the complement is not reported
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Greater acceptance exists today than a decade ago
Marist Pollfor WGBH BostonNondiscriminationparaphrasedMay 12–14, 2016 equal protection in employment and housing
90% of U.S. residents also think the transgender community should receive the same rights and protections as other Americans when it comes to both employment and housing.
Should receive the same rights and protections
90%
- Sample
- 507 adults · ±4.4 percentage points; the error margin was not adjusted for sample weights and increases for cross-tabulations
- Method
- probability RDD
- Where
- US national
- Source
- Pollster release↗(opens another site)
Full record
Base: 86% of the sample were national registered voters; banner crosstabs are reported for adults
Wording notes: bundles employment and housing into one item
Response options as the pollster wrote them
- Should receive the same rights and protections
- Should not