23-Nation Survey on Transgenderism Finds Less Than Half of Americans Think It's 'Natural'
A global survey of 23 nations has found various opinions on transgenderism in society, such as whether transgender people should be allowed to adopt children and change their birth sex on government documents.
Among the 17,105 people surveyed for the Ipsos poll, conducted for the pro-LGBT Williams Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles, less than half agreed that being transgender is a natural occurrence, or supported at-will gender change.
When it came to specific questions, such as whether being transgender is a "natural occurrence," only 44.2 percent of Americans said they agreed with the statement. Another 37.9 percent said that they do not believe it is a natural occurrence, while 17.9 percent said that that they do not know the answer.
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A little more than half, or 53.5 percent, of Americans said that they do not believe transgender people suffer from some form of metal illness, while 31.7 percent insisted that they do suffer from gender dysphoria.
According to the survey, 62.7 percent of Americans surveyed responded that transgender people should have the right to adopt children.
Breaking down the question of whether transgender people should be allowed to change their birth sex on government identification, however, only 22.7 percent of Americans said that transgender people should be free to do so with no restrictions of any form. On the other hand, 23.8 percent said such a change should not be allowed no matter what.
The survey reportedly also found that majorities in 21 countries said there should be policies banning discrimination against transgender people.
Breitbart News reports that the "lopsidedly normal results in the poll are a problem for gay groups and other progressives, who insist that people be allowed to freely change their legal sex, even without surgery or medical checks."
A July 2016 survey from LifeWay Research also found split views among Americans when it came to transgender issues.
While 35 percent of responders to the poll said that it was wrong for people to self-identify with a gender different from their birth sex, 45 percent argued that it was acceptable. Another 42 percent said that changing one's gender is morally wrong, though 43 percent disagreed.
Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, said that the growing acceptance of gender change suggests that more and more Americans "don't believe in right and wrong."
"They don't believe there's absolute truth — and if there's no absolute truth, then they're reluctant to talk about morality," McConnell said at the time.
The July survey found that evangelical Christians were much more likely than other American groups to express concerns about transgenderism, but only 54 percent unequivocally said that it is morally wrong to identify with a different gender.
