Most US adults support transgender equality, new poll suggests
People flying trans pride flags (Image: Stock image via Getty Images)
A February 2026 survey commissioned by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and conducted by SSRS found a clear majority of US citizens support equality and legal protections for trans people, with majority backing across demographic groups – including Republicans.
The data was released to mark International Transgender Day of Visibility, at a time of ongoing political debate and legislative challenges affecting trans people across the US. Just this week in Idaho, a new law was signed that would criminalise trans people using the bathroom that matches their gender.
Support for trans equality was broad “across party, race and ethnicity, and gender”, with more than half of Republicans backing each of the measures tested. Researchers said the findings indicate that support for “basic fairness” remains robust even in a politically polarised climate.
The survey also pointed to the impact of everyday relationships. Of those surveyed (1,032), 41% of US adults said they know someone who is transgender, and 27% reported speaking with a transgender person regularly. People with direct contact were consistently more supportive of trans equality.
The findings also suggest public feelings may be more positive than what politicians would have you believe, with majority support recorded across political affiliation, race, ethnicity and gender, including among Republicans.
Of the Republicans surveyed, 76% either agreed or strongly agreed with equal rights for trans people. Meanwhile, 92% of Democrats felt the same way.
What the findings mean
The HRC, one of the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organisations in the US, said: “These survey results point to two clear conclusions. First, support for transgender equality is already broad across the country. Second, personal connection matters: people who know transgender people—and especially those who speak with them regularly—are even more likely to support equal treatment and protections.
“For Transgender Day of Visibility, that finding carries a simple message: visibility matters, and so does connection. The more transgender people are known not as abstractions, but as friends, family members, coworkers, classmates, and neighbours, the stronger public support for equality becomes.”
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