Most Americans oppose President Trump’s decision to ban transgender or transitioning people from the armed services, according to a new poll released as the administration moves forward with the policy.
Fifty-nine percent of registered voters in the latest The Hill-HarrisX survey said that they opposed President Trump’s decision, compared to just 41 percent who said they favored the idea.
A strong majority of female voters, 68 percent, said they were against banning transgender service members while men were split, with 51 percent favoring the policy.
Sixty-nine percent of Republicans backed Trump’s policy while just 31 percent opposed it. A larger percentage of Democrats — 84 percent — oppose the ban, while just 16 percent of Democrats back it.
Independent voters also oppose the ban, at 56-44 percent.
The Supreme Court earlier this month allowed the administration to move forward with its policy even as cases challenging Trump’s decision make their way though the court system.
“People are, all things being equal, are more socially liberal on questions of this nature,” Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Poll, said on Thursday’s episode of “What America’s Thinking,” Hill.TV’s program about public opinion and polling.
Voters of all ages opposed the policy, with middle-aged people showing the most support.
Just 36 percent of voters between the ages of 18 and 34 backed the policy, compared to 64 percent that opposed it.
Forty-two percent of respondents between between 35 and 49 favored banning transgender service members while 58 percent opposed the idea. Voters between 50 and 64 also opposed the policy, 55 percent to 45 percent.
Opposition to Trump’s decision was comparatively higher among voters older than 65, with 59 percent disapproving and 41 percent favoring it.
The latest Hill-HarrisX survey was conducted Jan. 25 and 26 among a statistically representative nationwide sample of 1,000 registered voters and has a sampling margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
—Matthew Sheffield
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