A new Monmouth University poll has shed light on the complex and often partisan opinions of New Jersey residents regarding transgender recognition and accommodation in schools.
Three in four New Jerseyans (77%) feel that middle and high schools should notify parents if their child wants to be identified by a different gender on their school registration. Among parents of minors, 81% think schools should require notification.
According to the poll, 58% of state residents believe that transgender students should use bathroom facilities designated as “boys” or “girls” that match their assigned gender at birth, with only 28% favoring usage based on current gender identity. The poll also found that 55% of residents support providing gender-inclusive bathrooms in schools.
In the area of sex education, a majority of state residents (54%) would require transgender students to take classes with students of their assigned birth sex, while 27% feel otherwise. In student athletics, most feel that transgender students should play on teams that align with their birth-assigned sex, with 64% for students recorded as male and 59% for those recorded as female at birth.
Partisan differences were evident throughout the findings. A total of 63% of New Jersey Democrats believe that a person’s gender can be different from the sex they were assigned at birth, in stark contrast to 32% of independents and just 8% of Republicans. When it comes to teaching about gender identity, the majority of Republicans oppose this at all grade levels, while majorities of Democrats and independents support it at the high school level.
Slight variations in public opinion also emerged based on gender and age, with women and adults under 35 years old showing somewhat more support for transgender recognition in education. However, partisan identity proved to be a more influential factor.
The poll also revealed that just over one-third (36%) of Garden State residents believe that someone can be a man or a woman even if different from the assigned sex at birth. Just over half of New Jersey adults know someone who is transgender, with small and statistically insignificant differences in opinions about school handling of gender identity based on this connection.
“Most New Jerseyans, like most Americans, do not recognize transgender identity in a broad sense. This is reflected in how they view these issues being dealt with in schools,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
These findings underscore the complex nature of public opinion on transgender issues within the state, reflecting a larger national conversation, and highlighting the prominent role that partisan identity plays in shaping these views.