Parents Defending Education poll: 71% of voters support legislation requiring schools to inform parents if their child wants to change their gender identity

75% support requiring schools to get parental consent before helping a student change their gender identity

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Parents Defending Education (PDE) released new polling on whether schools should be allowed to hide students’ gender transitions from their parents. As policymakers across the country debate the merits of including – or excluding – families from learning critical details about their children’s lives, these numbers shed light on voters’ views on this subject. 

The poll found registered voters overwhelmingly support legislation that obligates schools to inform parents if their child wants to change their gender identity at school: 71% of registered voters support legislation requiring schools to tell parents if their child wants to change their gender identity at school, while 75% of registered voters support legislation requiring schools to acquire parental consent before helping a student transition.

The poll was conducted by CRC Research. It sampled 1,600 registered voters between March 15-20 and has a margin of error of +/- 2.45%.

The poll’s crosstabs are available here.

Key findings include: 

74% of registered voters believe schools should not help students change their gender identity without parental consent, compared to 18% of registered voters believe schools should.

71% of registered voters oppose letting schools withhold information about a child’s gender identity from their parents, while only 21% support this policy.

• 76% of Black voters, 71% of white voters, 66% of Hispanic voters, and 59% of Asian voters oppose this policy.
• 85% of Republican voters, 74% of Independent voters, and 59% of Democratic voters oppose this policy.
• 73% of voters with an income under $40K, 77% of voters with an income from $40K-80K, and 69% of voters with an income from $80K-125K oppose this policy.

71% of registered voters support legislation requiring schools to tell parents if their child wants to change their gender identity at school.

• 66% of Black voters, 74% of white voters, 63% of Hispanic voters, and 54% of Asian voters support this policy.
• 81% of Republican voters, 71% of Independent voters, and 63% of Democratic voters support this policy.
• 67% of voters with an income under $40K, 72% of voters with an income from $40K-80K, 74% of voters with an income from $80K-125K, and 79% of families with an income about $125K support this policy.

75% of registered voters support legislation requiring schools to get parental consent before helping a student change their gender identity at school, while only 18% oppose this policy.

• 76% of Black voters, 77% of white voters, 67% of Hispanic voters, and 62% of Asian voters support this policy.
• 84% of Republican voters, 73% of Independent voters, and 69% of Democratic voters support this policy.
• 71% of voters with an income under $40K, 76% of voters with an income from $40K-80K, 76% of voters with an income from $80K-125K, and 80% of families with an income about $125K support this policy.

75% of registered voters believe schools should require teachers or staff to inform parents if their child wants to use a different name or pronouns at school, while only 18% oppose this policy.

• 78% of Black voters, 77% of white voters, 63% of Hispanic voters, and 66% of Asian voters support this policy.
• 86% of Republican voters, 72% of Independent voters, and 69% of Democratic voters support this policy.
• 73% of voters with an income under $40K, 74% of voters with an income from $40K-80K, 78% of voters with an income from $80K-125K, and 80% of families with an income about $125K support this policy.

68% of registered voters disagreed with the statement “parents are not entitled to know their kids’ identities. That knowledge must be earned,” while only 24% agreed with the statement.

• 67% of Black voters, 69% of white voters, 63% of Hispanic voters, and 65% of Asian voters disagree with this statement.
• 83% of Republican voters, 74% of Independent voters, and 49% of Democratic voters disagree with this statement.
• 72% of voters with an income under $40K, 72% of voters with an income from $40K-80K, 65% of voters with an income from $80K-125K, and 51% of families with an income about $125K disagree with this statement.

When asked if they agreed with the statement “children who identify as transgender won’t be accepted or loved by their parents.” 54% of registered voters disagreed, while 34% agreed.

78% of registered voters agree with the statement “A child changing his or her gender identity has major long-term medical and psychological ramifications. Parents should know, and have an opportunity to be involved in, such an important aspect of their child’s well-being.”

• 82% of Black voters, 70% of Hispanic voters, and 67% of Democrat voters agreed with this statement.

Statements from PDE Leadership:

Nicole Neily, President and Founder of Parents Defending Education:

“The numbers speak for themselves: opposition to parental exclusion policies spans racial, political, and socioeconomic lines. These immoral policies undermine the relationship between parent and child – and, to add insult to injury, is being underwritten with our own tax dollars through the public school system. Education officials at the local, state, and federal level have demonstrated a callous disregard for parental rights, highlighting the need for both courts and policymakers to act, in order to end this egregious overreach.”

Caroline Moore, Vice President of Parents Defending Education:

“School districts across the country have gotten over their skis by drafting and implementing policies that blatantly exclude parents from important decisions about their child’s education. Our polling shows, unequivocally, that parents should be the principal decision makers for the education of their children. This fundamental American belief that parents know what’s best for their child transcends politics, race, and income. Parents have called on districts to respond to their yearning for transparency and accountability to no avail.

Parents are looking to the many states across the country, as well as Congress, who are currently taking up the fight for parental rights through legislation at the state and federal level. It couldn’t be more fitting that Congress is slated to vote on the Parents Bill of Rights Act later this week, which will codify parental rights in education through legislation and give parents the transparency and accountability that is non-existent at the district level.”

Mailyn Salabarria, Director of Community Engagement at Parents Defending Education:

“The results of this survey simply reinforce what we at Parents Defending Education have been hearing from parents all over the country: the constant whispering at our children’s ears that we -their parents- are their enemy, is negatively impacting families everywhere.

Public school policies that hide identity and gender issues from parents and legal guardians are an assault to parents’ rights. 75% of parents agree that teachers and staff should be required to inform parents or legal guardians if the minor wants to use a different name or pronoun at school.

Parents from all sides of political spectrum, income and educational levels, ethnic and racial group overwhelmingly agree these are long term psychological and medical decision where parents must be involved. Education officials at all levels and policymakers should take note: we are the parents, we all want the best for our children, and we are not going anywhere anytime soon.”