A YouGov poll conducted on behalf of RT has found very little support for the idea of gender reassignment surgery before someone turns 18, with only 8% overall believing minors should be legally allowed getting sex reassignment surgery “without any conditions.”
Support for surgery, defined as “a surgical procedure relating to facial reconstructive, chest (top), or genital (bottom) surgery,” with “some conditions” was higher, at 17%.
Some 38% of respondents rejected the idea of minors getting such surgeries, with no exceptions, while 15% chose “No, but with some exceptions.”
Some factors like age and race appeared to affect the results in the latest survey. Among 18- to 34-year-olds, only 24% said minors should not be able to get surgery and there should be “no exceptions,” a far lower number than the 48% of Americans aged 55 and up, who draw a hard line against gender reassignment surgeries for minors.
Among the youngest group in the survey, nearly twice as many said gender reassignment among minors should be legally allowed “without any conditions,” compared to the overall results, but this still only marks 15% support. Another 20% among 18- to 34-year-olds believe surgery should be legally allowed “with some conditions.” Among those aged 55+, only 15% believe the surgery should be legally allowed “with some conditions,” while just 4% said they support the “no conditions” stance.
According to a breakdown of the race of respondents, white people appeared to have the strongest opposition, with 43% saying there should be “no conditions” under which someone under 18 is legally allowed to get gender reassignment-related surgery. That number goes down among other races, including black (34%) and Hispanic (28%).
Overall, however, “No” options prevailed at 53% in total, with “Yes” options scoring 25%. A total of 22*% either said they have no opinion (10%), “Don’t Know” (8%) or preferred not to say (3%).
*Total percentage does not add up due to rounding
Among parents, 45% said there should be no surgery allowed and “no exceptions,” while only 6% supported it being allowed with “no conditions” attached to such decisions.
The survey was carried out by YouGov between January 24-26, with a total number of 2,562 adults surveyed online. The figures are weighted and are representative of all US citizens aged 18+.
Transgender rights, specifically related to minors, has become a fiery topic of debate in the US in recent years, with some states like Tennessee and Texas moving to ban gender-confirming treatment for minors, which activists have steadfastly opposed.
Methodology: All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,562 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 24th - 26th January 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).