Survey says: Little support for teaching gender identity in schools

Seven percent of Americans believe it is suitable for early elementary schools to teach the concept of non-binary identity, according to a recent survey by PRRI reported on by MSN. Eleven percent of respondents said such teachings should be taught later in elementary school, 26 percent said in middle school, and 18 percent said in high school. Similarly, eight percent of respondents think it is appropriate to teach the concept of transgender identity in early elementary, 12 percent in later elementary, 27 percent in middle school, and 18 percent in high school.

The survey polled more than 5,000 Americans’ views on “gender identity and what is appropriate to teach in public schools with respect to sexual orientation and gender identity.”

American public opinion on the topic has shifted over the past several years, “with a declining endorsement of gender ideology and a reaffirmation of the biological gender binary system,” continues MSN.

In 2021, 59 percent of Americans believed there were only two genders — male and female, while 40 percent agreed with the existence of multiple gender identities. However, by 2023, the divide further widened, with 65 percent believing in two sexes and 34 percent endorsing various genders.

Broken down by political affiliations, Republicans and independents are more likely to believe there are only two genders, but even among Democrats belief in the biological gender binary system increased from 38 percent in 2021 to 44 percent in 2023.

Belief in a biological gender binary system has also increased across generations — Generation Z jumped from 43 percent in 2021 to 57 percent in 2023, Millennials from 51 to 60 percent, Generation X from 65 to 71 percent, Baby Boomers from 62 to 68 percent, and the Silent Generation from 68 to 69 percent.

Parents (70 percent) and non-parents (64 percent) are similarly in agreement that there is a gender binary as well.

When asked whether “public schools interfere too much with parents’ rights to determine what their children are taught,” over half of all Americans (53 percent) agreed. More than six in 10 Americans (62 percent) believe that “people spend too much time talking about gender and pronouns,” including 56 percent of respondents who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual or are close to someone who is.