knowhomo:

LBGTQ* Surveys, Studies and Polls

Public Religion Research Institute

Reports on Transgender Views by American Public

Approximately two-thirds of Americans both report being well informed about transgender people and issues, and generally understand what the term “transgender” means.

• Two-thirds of Americans agree that they feel well informed about transgender persons and issues, while 3-in-10 disagree.
• In order to determine whether Americans understood the term “transgender,” PRRI conducted a follow-up survey in September 2011 that asked respondents to report what the term “transgender” meant to them in their own words. Among the 91% of Americans who report that they have heard of the term transgender, 76% give an essentially accurate definition. Thus, overall, more than two-thirds (69%) of Americans are able to identify what the term “transgender” means without any assistance.
  • Forty-six percent define a transgender person as someone who switches from one gender to another, either generally (39%) or through a medical procedure (7%).
  • Eleven percent define a transgender person as someone who lives like the opposite gender (6%) or identifies more with the opposite gender (5%).
  • Ten percent describe a transgender person as someone who is born the wrong sex or born in the wrong body.
  • Nine percent define a transgender person as someone who has identified with both genders.
• The following are examples of verbatim responses:
  • “A person who feels like they are more like the other sex”
  • “It’s someone born one sex, and they think they’re another”
  • “Generally someone who thinks they are in the wrong body”
• Eleven percent of Americans say that they have a close friend or family member who is transgender, compared to 58% who say that they have a close friend or family member who is gay or lesbian.

*In order to test the effects of knowledge levels about the term “transgender,” half of the sample was given a basic definition of the term before answering a battery of questions, while the other half of the sample was not given a definition. The supplied definition read as follows: “The term ‘transgender’ applies to people who live out their gender in a way that does not match the sex listed on their original birth certificate, or who physically change their sex.” There were no significant differences in the responses between the two groups. Responses in this memo are for the full sample.