PRRI Poll: Gender Opinions Divided by Party, Religion

A new poll examining Americans' views on gender identity, pronoun use, and whether teaching about sexual orientation should be allowed at public schools shows a divide between people based on party affiliation, age, and religion. 

The poll, conducted by PRRI, surveyed 5,000 Americans, and 65% said they believe there are only two gender identities, with 34% disagreeing, saying they believe they are many gender identities. 

Politically, 90% of Republicans polled said there are two genders, as compared to 66% of independents and 44% of Democrats. 

The online poll was conducted March 9-23 of more than 5,000 adults, with a margin of error of plus/minus 1.5 percentage points.

The pollsters noted that in the past few years, views have been shifting on gender identities: 

• 2021: 59% said there are only two identities, man and woman, and 40% said there are many identities. 
• 2022: 62% said there are two identities; 35% said there are many. 
• 2023: 65% said there are two identities; 34% said there are many. Nine in 10 Republicans believe there are only two genders, compared to 87% in 2021. 

The recent results showed the discourse is highly polarized by partisan lines, and has been shifting over the past few years:

• Democrats are less likely to believe that there are only two genders, at 44% in 2023 and 38% in 2021. 
• Independents are more likely to think there are only two genders, with 66% in 2023 and 60% in 2021. 

Meanwhile, beliefs on gender remained somewhat steady from 2021 to 2023 among religious groups:

• 92% of Protestants said in the current poll there are only two genders, compared to 86% in 2021. 
• Hispanic Protestants and Latter-Day Saints, said there are two genders, by 79% and 81%, respectively, in 2021, and 82% and 81% in 2023.
• More than seven in 10 Black Protestants (73% in 2021 and 71% in 2023) said there are two genders. 
• 65% of white Protestants in 2021 and 67% in 2023 said they believe there are only two genders. 
• White Catholics went from 62% in 2021 and 69% in 2023 believing in only two genders. 
• Other Protestants of color and Hispanic Catholics marked the most drastic changes. In 2021, 52% of other Protestants of color believed in only two genders, compared with 73% in 2023, and Hispanic Catholics increased from 48% to 66%.
• Jewish Americans remained at 44% in both years, and people unaffiliated with any religion went from 2023 to 46% who believe in only two genders from 38% in 2021. 

Those polled overall were almost evenly divided on the use of gender-neutral pronouns, with 35% comfortable, 40% uncomfortable, and 23% saying it doesn't matter. 

But again, the issue was divided by political party, with 65% of Republicans and 38% of independents saying they are uncomfortable with gender-pronoun use, and 24% of Democrats saying that makes them uncomfortable. 

The poll found that 34% of people overall said that same-sex relationships aren't an appropriate subject matter for students to learn about in public K-12 schools. 

Those numbers were also divided by political party, with 55% of Republicans, 32% of independents, and 18% of Democrats agreeing.

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