Americans who say gender can differ from birth sex express mixed comfort with transgender athletes competing on teams that don’t match their birth sex
% who said, thinking about things that sometimes happen in society, they are ___ comfortable with transgender athletes competing on sports teams that don’t match their sex at birth

Note: No answer responses are not shown. Refer to topline for full question wording about gender identity.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Nov. 17-30, 2025.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Americans who say gender can differ from birth sex express mixed comfort with transgender athletes competing on teams that don’t match their birth sex
% who said, thinking about things that sometimes happen in society, they are ___ comfortable with transgender athletes competing on sports teams that don’t match their sex at birth
| Extremely/Very | Somewhat | Not too/Not at all | Grouping | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. adults | 13 | 14 | 73 | All |
| Among those who said whether someone is a man or a woman … | ||||
| Is determined by their sex at birth (67%) | 4 | 6 | 89 | Sex at birth |
| Can be different from their sex at birth (31%) | 33 | 29 | 37 | Sex at birth |
Note: No answer responses are not shown. Refer to topline for full question wording about gender identity.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Nov. 17-30, 2025.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER