According to a new survey by the Washington Post and KFF, a nonprofit focused on health issues, a large majority of transgender adults state that transitioning has made them more content with their lives. This survey is the largest nongovernmental survey of transgender adults that uses random samplings, questioning over 500 transgender adults about their childhood, family and other life experiences.
The survey found that 78% of respondents said that living as a gender that differs from the one assigned at birth has increased their satisfaction in life, with over four out of 10 adults stating that they are “a lot more” satisfied. While the overall rates of life satisfaction among trans adults were lower than the general population, many survey participants stated that this was largely due to discrimination facing trans people.
Trans adults reported day-to-day harassment, including at work or with a healthcare provider. Around 25% of trans adults said they had faced physical assault due to their gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation, and an estimated six out of 10 have faced verbal harassment.
An estimated 1.6 million people above the age of 13 identify as transgender, according to a study by the Williams Institute. The Post-KFF survey found that 62% of transgender adults identify as non-binary, compared to only 33% identifying as a trans man or woman.
The survey found that a majority of those surveyed said they were under the age of 18 when they knew their gender was different from the one assigned at birth, and that 46% of trans adults reported having an unhappy childhood compared with 19% of the general population. Furthermore, many trans adults surveyed said they did not have a trusted adult they could talk to as children, and school remained a significant stressor for many trans adults.
Despite a political climate where Republican lawmakers in the US have been introducing bills targeting transgender rights, particularly those of children and within public schools, a majority of trans adults believe that public perceptions of trans people are changing. 55% reported that the US was more accepting of trans people than it was 10 years ago.