nonprobability quotasurvey of transgender people, not of the public
Advocates for Trans Equality / NCTE
2022 U.S. Transgender Survey (USTS) - Early Insights report · Oct 19, 2022 – Dec 5, 2022 · US national (all 50 states, DC, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. military bases overseas)
Data flag. RE-SOURCING BLOCKED: the cited USTS 'Early Insights' PDF returns 403. CNN and NBC independently confirm the fielding as Oct 19 - Dec 5 2022, n=92,329 (matching the record), and no earlier NCTE release exists - so the Feb 2024 report is the earliest public source, and the citation is as contemporaneous as it can be.
Not a public-opinion poll. This surveys transgender people about their own lives, mostly
through nonprobability community samples. It describes a population and is not comparable with polls of the general public.
Methodology
- Pollster
- Advocates for Trans Equality / NCTE advocacy_left
- Sponsor
- Advocates for Trans Equality Education Fund
- Fielded
- Oct 19, 2022 – Dec 5, 2022
- Population
- binary and nonbinary transgender people aged 16+ - nonprobability community sample, NOT a poll of the general public
- Sample size
- 92,329
- Sample frame
- nonprobability quota
- Mode
- anonymous online self-administered questionnaire (605 possible questions across 38 sections, ~60 minute average completion), English and Spanish, hosted by Qualtrics and reachable only through USTransSurvey.org over a 48-day field period
- Margin of error
- not applicable - nonprobability sample; the report states respondents 'were not drawn from a random sample'
- Weighting
- Several survey weights were developed 'to reduce sampling biases and be more representative of the U.S. transgender population with regard to age, race/ethnicity, education, and geographical region', based on the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Separate weights were built for the full 16+ sample and the adult 18+ sample.
- Geography
- US national (all 50 states, DC, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. military bases overseas)
- Base notes
- 92,329 total respondents, of whom 84,170 were adults (18+) and 8,159 were youth aged 16-17. Findings in the Early Insights report are for adults 18+ unless otherwise noted.
Sources
Verification note. THIS IS NOT A POLL OF THE PUBLIC. Nonprobability, self-selected online community sample recruited through trans/LGBTQ organizations, support groups, health centers and online communities. The report states verbatim: 'although the team sought to recruit a sample that was as representative as possible of transgender people in the U.S. and analytic weights reduce sample biases, study respondents were not drawn from a random sample. Therefore, while this sample is a large one, the findings may not be representative of all transgender people.' All percentages read directly from the Early Insights PDF. The full 2022 USTS report with the complete methodology and questionnaire had not been released as of the access date.
Figures below are transcribed from these documents. Where they disagree with the source, the source governs.
Questions asked (9)
negative experiences with health care providers because of being transgender
Of those who saw a health care provider within the last 12 months, nearly one-half (48%) reported having at least one negative experience because they were transgender, such as being refused health care, being misgendered, having a provider use harsh or abusive language when treating them, or having a provider be physically rough or abusive when treating them.
Wording reconstructed from: 2022 USTS Early Insights report, p.16. Report narrative summarizing a battery; the literal item wording awaits the full report.
At least one negative experience because they were transgender
48%
Serious psychological distress in last 30 days (Kessler 6)
44%
Did not see a doctor when needed in last 12 months due to cost
28%
Had at least one issue with their insurance company in the last 12 months (e.g. denial of coverage for hormones, surgery or other gender-related care)
26%
Did not see a doctor when needed in last 12 months due to fear of mistreatment
24%
neutral — Behavioral experience battery.
life satisfaction after gender-affirming surgery and hormone treatment
Nearly all respondents (97%) who had at least one form of surgery for their gender identity/transition reported that they were either "a lot more satisfied" (88%) or "a little more satisfied" (9%) with their life. One percent (1%) reported that surgery made them "neither more nor less satisfied" with their life, less than 1% were "a little less satisfied," and 1% were "a lot less satisfied" with their life.
Wording reconstructed from: 2022 USTS Early Insights report, p.18. Report narrative; the response options quoted inside it are verbatim scale labels.
A lot more satisfied
88%
A lot more satisfied
84%
A little more satisfied
14%
A little more satisfied
9%
A lot less satisfied
1%
Neither more nor less satisfied
1%
Neither more nor less satisfied
1%
neutral — Symmetric five-point satisfaction scale.
immediate family support
Thirty-six percent (36%) of adult respondents who said that some or all of their immediate family knew that they were transgender said their family members were "supportive" of them being transgender, and 31% said they were "very supportive." Eight percent (8%) said their immediate family was "unsupportive" of them being transgender, 4% had "very unsupportive" immediate families, and 22% reported that they were "neither supportive nor unsupportive."
Wording reconstructed from: 2022 USTS Early Insights report, p.19. Report narrative with verbatim scale labels.
Very supportive
31%
Very unsupportive
4%
Neither supportive nor unsupportive
22%
Supportive 36%Unsupportive 8%
neutral — Symmetric five-point scale with explicit midpoint.
Subgroup figures (5)
denial of restroom access and harassment in restrooms in the last 12 months
Four percent (4%) of respondents were denied access to a restroom in a public place, at work, or at school in the last 12 months. In the last 12 months, 6% of respondents had been verbally harassed, physically attacked, or experienced unwanted sexual contact when accessing or using a restroom.
Wording reconstructed from: 2022 USTS Early Insights report, p.21. Report narrative.
Verbally harassed, physically attacked, or experienced unwanted sexual contact when accessing or using a restroom
6%
Denied access to a restroom in a public place, at work, or at school in the last 12 months
4%
neutral — Behavioral experience items.
name and gender marker on identity documents; harassment when showing mismatched ID
Nearly half (48%) of respondents who had at least one form of identity document (such a birth certificate, passport, or driver's license) said that none of their IDs listed the name they wanted. Twenty percent (20%) had the name they wanted on some of their IDs, and 33% had the name they wanted on all their IDs. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of respondents who had at least one ID said that none of their IDs listed the gender they wanted, 23% said some of their IDs listed the gender they wanted, and 19% said that all their IDs listed the gender they wanted. Twenty-two percent (22%) of all respondents reported being verbally harassed, assaulted, asked to leave a location, or denied services when they have shown someone an ID with a name or gender that did not match their presentation.
Wording reconstructed from: 2022 USTS Early Insights report, p.22. Report narrative.
All of their IDs list the name they wanted
33%
Some of their IDs list the gender they wanted
23%
Verbally harassed, assaulted, asked to leave, or denied services after showing a mismatched ID
22%
Some of their IDs list the name they wanted
20%
All of their IDs list the gender they wanted
19%
None of their IDs list the name they wanted
48%
None of their IDs list the gender they wanted
59%
neutral — Factual item about respondents' own documents.
considering or actually moving out of state because of state anti-transgender laws
Nearly half (47%) of respondents had thought about moving to another state because their state government considered or passed laws that target transgender people for unequal treatment (such as banning access to bathrooms, health care, or sports), and 5% of respondents had actually moved out of state because of such state action.
Wording reconstructed from: 2022 USTS Early Insights report, p.23. Report narrative.
Thought about moving to another state because of state laws targeting transgender people
47%
Thought about moving to another area because of discrimination or unequal treatment where they lived
40%
Actually moved to another area because of discrimination
10%
Actually moved out of state because of such state action
5%
Wording notes: the reported stem characterizes the laws as targeting transgender people 'for unequal treatment'
tilts_affirming — As reported, the stem describes the legislation as targeting trans people 'for unequal treatment', which is the sponsoring organization's characterization rather than a neutral description. Note this is the report's paraphrase; the literal item wording is not yet published, so the assessment may not apply to the fielded item.
Surveys of trans peopleparaphrased5-point scale
comfort asking police for help
Nearly half (47%) of respondents reported that they would feel "very uncomfortable" asking the police for help if they needed it, and 26% reported feeling "somewhat uncomfortable." Ten percent (10%) of respondents reported feeling "somewhat comfortable," 8% felt "very comfortable," and 10% felt "neutral" about asking the police for help when they needed it.
Wording reconstructed from: 2022 USTS Early Insights report, p.22. Report narrative with verbatim scale labels.
Very uncomfortable
47%
Somewhat uncomfortable
26%
Neutral
10%
Somewhat comfortable
10%
Very comfortable
8%
neutral — Symmetric five-point comfort scale.
K-12 mistreatment among students out or perceived as transgender
More than three-quarters of adult respondents (80%) and nearly two-thirds of 16- and 17-year-old respondents (60%) who were out or perceived as transgender in K-12 experienced one or more form of mistreatment or negative experience, including verbal harassment, physical attacks, online bullying, being denied the ability to dress according to their gender identity/expression, teachers or staff refusing to use chosen name or pronouns, or being denied the use of restrooms or locker rooms matching their gender identity.
Wording reconstructed from: 2022 USTS Early Insights report, p.22. Report narrative.
One or more form of mistreatment
80%
neutral — Behavioral experience battery.
Subgroup figures (1)
harassment, denial of service and physical attack in the last 12 months
Nearly one in ten (9%) respondents reported that they were denied equal treatment or service in the last 12 months because of their gender identity or expression. Nearly one-third (30%) of respondents reported that they were verbally harassed in the last 12 months because of their gender identity or expression. More than one-third (39%) of respondents reported that they were harassed online in the last 12 months because of their gender identity or expression. Three percent (3%) of respondents reported that they were physically attacked in the last 12 months because of their gender identity or expression.
Wording reconstructed from: 2022 USTS Early Insights report, p.21. Report narrative.
Harassed online in last 12 months
39%
Experiencing poverty
34%
Verbally harassed in last 12 months
30%
Experienced homelessness in lifetime
30%
Unemployed
18%
Denied equal treatment or service in last 12 months
9%
Physically attacked in last 12 months
3%
neutral — Behavioral experience battery.