Belief that changing one’s gender is morally acceptable has fallen to a record low as support for gender-change has even diminished among U.S. adults who identify as Democrats, results of a new Gallup survey reveal.
In its annual “Values and Beliefs” poll of adults (18+) conducted May 1-17, Gallup asked respondents whether they considered each of 20 various behaviors “morally acceptable.”
Just 38% said they viewed “Changing one’s gender” to be morally acceptable, down from 46% in 2021 – and a record low for the Gallup’s annual survey.
While gender-changing was called morally acceptable by far more Democrats (60%) than Republicans (5%), support by Democrats has fallen 11 points from last year’s level of 71%. Among Independents, 42% said it was morally acceptable in the latest poll.
Moral approval of gender transition declines with age, falling from 57% of those 18-34 to just 24% of adults who are at least 55 years old.
Over the past year, Democrats have also become significantly less likely to consider cloning animals (down 13 points to 27%) and polygamy (down 10 points to 17%) to be morally acceptable.
In all, six behaviors dropped to record lows in moral acceptability by U.S. adults in 2026:
- Birth control (83%).
- Gambling (57%)
- The death penalty (52%)
- Medical testing on animals (45%).
- Cloning animals (27%).
- Changing one’s gender (38%).
