A new poll conducted by Spry Strategies on behalf of Women’s Liberation Front found that a majority of likely 2020 voters disagree with policies related to “gender identity,” such as those included in the proposed Equality Act, that would remove protections for women in single-sex spaces such as prisons, shelters, and sports.

The results are based on a national sample of 3,500 likely voters and include detailed representation across regions, ethnicity, sex, and political affiliation. Black and Hispanic voters are more likely to support protections for single-sex spaces, especially on issues such as prison and homelessness which disproportionately impact communities of color.

Key Results

Voters overwhelmingly disapprove of policies that allow the placement of male sexual offenders or domestic abusers in women’s prisons, with only seven percent of voters supporting such policies. Two out of every three likely voters (66.93 percent) state that they “strongly disagree” with such policies, including a majority of liberal voters who disagree with such policies.

The poll also revealed cross-partisan disapproval of “gender identity” based policies, such as those impacting single-sex sports. The majority of voters of all parties (66.96 percent) state that men or boys who identify as transgender should not be permitted to compete in women and girls’ athletics.

A majority of voters also disagree with allowing men who identify as transgender in women’s changing rooms (56.86 percent) and homeless shelters (53.19 percent).

Over two-thirds of voters (66.84 percent) also disagree with children under the age of 18 undergoing physical sex-change surgery or taking cross-sex hormones.

There was also cross-partisan agreement that parents should not face losing custody of their children for refusing to allow their children to undergo these procedures with only 17.01 percent of voters supporting such policies.

Methodology

The poll, conducted by Spry Strategies in all 50 states, utilized a scientific sample of 3,500 likely General Election voters who voted in at least two of the last four elections (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018), as well as newly registered voters from May 1, 2018 to October 20, 2020. Data is modeled after the 2016 General Election voter turnout, which is the anticipated model for the 2020 General Election. Surveys were completed using a hybrid method of live landline, IVR, and online to mobile October 20-October 23. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points.

Analysis

The results mirror the findings of our recent poll conducted in Idaho and California which also found cross-partisan disapproval of gender identity policies in those states. Many states have recently passed or are considering legislation that permits men to be placed in women’s prisons and shelters or compete in women’s sports. The results of this poll demonstrate that these policies are not only unpopular with conservatives, but are unpopular with a majority of voters. In many cases, Democratic and liberal voters disapprove of the very policies pushed by Democratic legislatures, including recent bills proposed to allow male criminals to be housed in women’s state correctional facilities, such as were recently passed in California and proposed in New York.

The poll also revealed that Black and Hispanic voters are more likely than white voters to support maintaining single-sex spaces, especially in prisons system and public services such as homeless shelters. Meanwhile, the wealthiest Americans (those with household incomes over $150,000) are the most likely to support these policies which are largely unpopular with middle-class voters. These results indicate that those most likely to actually be impacted by gender identity policies (poor or working-class families and people of color) are more likely to oppose them.

Read the Full Results

National Poll Overview

National Poll Tables Only

National Poll Crosstab Data