According to a new (third and most expansive) YouGov study, there has been an overall erosion in support toward transgender rights in the U.K. The study begins by addressing the fact that overall, not only has anti-trans prejudice become more prominent in recent years but also the attentiveness of trans policy changes and issues overall has decreased entirely.
The study states that two-thirds of Britons say they pay little attention (42%) or no attention (24%) to the debate in the media and politics about trans rights. Only one in three say they pay more attention than this, including just 8% who say they pay “a lot” of attention.
Despite this, it was also clear that U.K. residents are still very aware of the fact that trans-based prejudice exists prominently in their country; nearly half (49%) believe that discrimination against transgender people is either a major problem (16%) or a significant problem (33%) in Britain today. This is comparable to the number who say the same for other minority groups—such as Asian people (48% say is a major/significant problem), disabled people (49%), and Black people (51%)—and higher than the number for discrimination against gays and lesbians (43%).
Among those who pay “little” attention to the debate, 49% say discrimination against trans people is a significant problem, compared to the 37% who disagree. Those who pay “no attention at all” to the trans debate are much less likely to agree, however. Only 25% of this group say that discrimination against trans people is a major/significant problem, while 49% think it isn’t much of a problem, if it is one at all.
In general, most Britons say that people should be able to change their gender in the social sphere but are divided on whether or not they should be able to change their gender legally.
Namely, the study concludes that not paying much attention to the trans debate is not the same as believing that trans people do not face discrimination in contemporary society. It simply means that people do not pay attention to the proceedings of policy development for these types of issues as opposed to other topics.
This level of ignorance can be attributed in part to the increase in violence and prejudice against trans people in the U.K. over the years. The choice to “not pay attention” effectively removes one from the fight for equality, leading to a larger likelihood that anti-trans voices will permeate the legislative sector that could actually make tangible positive change in this fight for equality.
