Poll: Americans Say Acceptance of Transgenderism Has Gone ‘Too Far’

A growing share of Americans say acceptance of transgenderism has gone “too far” and a majority reject using the “gender-neutral” pronouns “they/them,” a new Wall Street Journal-NORC poll found.

Out of 1,019 people polled between March 1-13, 43 percent say American society has gone “too far accepting people who are transgender.” A third (33 percent) say society has not gone far enough, and 23 percent say society is “about right.” The margin of error was plus or minus 4.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level among all adults. 

Republicans (75 percent) are far more likely to say society has gone too far in accepting transgenderism than Democrats (15 percent). Nearly half of independents (47 percent) agree with Republicans. 

The share of Americans who say acceptance of transgender people has gone too far is higher than when NBC News separately polled on the topic in 2022. That poll found that 33 percent of Americans thought “we have gone too far in accepting transgender people,” compared to 26 percent in 2021, 33 percent in 2016, and 24 percent in 2015.

The survey asked respondents how they rank “identifying their pronouns, such as ‘he/him, she/her, or they them’ in email, social media communication, or conversations.” Twenty-one percent say, “very favorable,” (12 percent) or somewhat favorable (eight percent), and 37 percent say doing so is neither favorable nor unfavorable. In contrast, 42 percent say identifying their pronouns is very unfavorable (27 percent) or somewhat unfavorable (16 percent).

A majority (50 percent) say it is somewhat unfavorable (15 percent) or very unfavorable (35 percent) “being asked to use gender neutral pronouns, such as ‘they/them’ when addressing another person,” the survey found. Eighteen percent say it is very favorable (11 percent) or somewhat favorable (seven percent), and 32 percent say neither.

The poll echoes the results of other surveys, which have found that Americans do not support men playing women’s sports. More than half (56 percent) of Americans believe transgender athletes should “only play on teams that match the sex assigned at their birth,” while only 17 percent say they should be “able to play on teams that match their current gender identity.” Twenty-five percent are unsure.

The survey also questioned respondents about sex equality between men and women, as well as whether society has gone too far or not far enough in accepting gay, lesbian, and bisexual people.

Nearly half (48 percent) of Americans say society has not gone far enough in promoting sex equality, while 12 percent say it has gone too far, and 38 percent say it is about right. Only small percentages of every political affiliation agree (Democrats at two percent, independents at 15 percent, and Republicans at 21 percent).

Thirty-seven percent of overall poll respondents say society has not gone far enough in accepting gay, lesbian, and bisexual people, while 29 percent say society has gone too far. Thirty-two percent say society is “about right” on this issue. Republicans are much more likely to say society has gone too far in this area (52 percent), compared to 31 percent of independents and seven percent of Democrats.