whether being transgender is a mental illness or a natural variation of human identity
Do you believe being transgender is best described as a mental illness or as a natural variation of human identity?
Definitely being transgender is a mental illness
28.9%
Definitely being transgender is a natural variation of human identity
27.3%
Probably being transgender is a natural variation of human identity
17.1%
Probably being transgender is a mental illness
13.5%
Unsure
13.2%
Being transgender is a mental illness (total) 42.4%Being transgender is a natural variation of human identity (total) 44.4%
Wording notes: offers 'mental illness' as one of only two substantive characterizations, which presents a pathologizing frame as an ordinary side of a two-sided debate | the deck slide title uses 'Transgenderism', a coinage used almost exclusively by opponents | no 'neither' option; respondents who reject both framings can only answer Unsure
loaded_terms — the two offered characterizations are not symmetric alternatives - 'mental illness' is a clinical-pathology claim, 'natural variation of human identity' a descriptive one - and forcing a choice between them makes the pathologizing option the default half of a binary
Subgroup figures (26)
party
| Group | Being transgender is a mental illness (total) | Being transgender is a natural variation of human identity (total) |
|---|---|---|
| Republican | 74% | 13% |
| Independent | 33% | 52% |
| Democrat | 13% | 74% |
ideology
| Group | Being transgender is a mental illness (total) | Being transgender is a natural variation of human identity (total) |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 73% | 15% |
| Moderate | 34% | 45% |
| Liberal | 8% | 86% |
gender
| Group | Being transgender is a mental illness (total) | Being transgender is a natural variation of human identity (total) |
|---|---|---|
| Women under 55 | 33% | 55% |
| Women 55+ | 40% | 43% |
| Men under 55 | 48% | 40% |
| Men 55+ | 50% | 38% |
2024_vote
| Group | Being transgender is a mental illness (total) | Being transgender is a natural variation of human identity (total) |
|---|---|---|
| Trump '24 voters | 75% | 14% |
| Harris '24 voters | 12% | 75% |
other
| Group | Being transgender is a mental illness (total) | Being transgender is a natural variation of human identity (total) |
|---|---|---|
| Swing voters | 41% | 38% |