Most young adults favor allowing transgender people to use restrooms of their current gender identity If you had to choose, which comes closest to your view? Transgender people should be
As the visibility of transgender Americans has increased in recent years, it has been accompanied by a contentious political debate over the rights of the estimated 0.6% of U.S. adults who identify as transgender – in particular, which public restrooms they should legally be allowed to enter.
About half of U.S. adults (51%) say transgender individuals should be allowed to use public restrooms that correspond with the gender they currently identify with, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. But nearly as many (46%) take the opposite position – on the side of the North Carolina law – and say transgender people should be required to use bathrooms that match the gender they were born into.
Religion, age, gender and politics are all connected with views on this issue. For instance, a majority of Americans who say they attend religious services at least weekly – especially white evangelicals – say transgender people should be required to use bathrooms of their gender at birth, while most of those who attend services less often (particularly people who do not identify with any religion) take the more liberal position that such individuals should be allowed to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity.
Also, more women than men take the liberal stance (55% vs. 45%) as do young adults when compared with older Americans (67% of those ages 18 to 29, compared with about half or fewer in older age groups). In addition, those who are Democrats or who lean Democratic are far more likely than Republicans and GOP leaners (68% vs. 30%) to say transgender people should be able to use the bathroom that fits their gender identity.
Most young adults favor allowing transgender people  | to use restrooms of their current gender identity  | If you had to choose, which comes closest to your view?  | Transgender people should be  | allowed to muse the  | required to use  | public restrooms of  | public restrooms of  | they public gender with which identify  | public gender they were  | No  | they currently identify  | born finto  | answer  | Total  | 51%  | 46%  | 3%  | 45  | 52  | Men  | Women  | 55  | 40  | White  | 51  | 46  | Black  | 50  | 44  | Hispanic  | 47  | 48  | Ages 18-29  | 67  | 32  | 30-49  | 49  | 49  | 50-64  | 44  | 52  | 65+  | 45  | 48  | Note: Whites and blacks include only those who are not Hispanic. Hispanics are of  | any race Figures may not ala to 100% due to rounding  | Source: Survey of U.S adults conducted Aug 16 Sept. 12, 2016  | "Where the Public Stands on Religious Liberty vs. Nondiscrimination"  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 