Higher Education Policy Institute poll on controversial issues

[ItsCoolForCats]

I saw this shared on X by Susanna Rustin. Students aged 18-21 were asked for their opinions on controversial topics. The section on transwomen and trans men is interesting

https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/A-breed-apart-What-do-young-undergraduates-think-of-controversial-and-divisive-issues.pdf

When asked for their views on the changing-room facilities that transwomen and transmen
should be expected to use, roughly one-third of students say people should use the changing
room assigned to their gender identity while one-half disagree (presumably assuming they should
use the facility assigned to their sex at birth or a gender-neutral space). Although we asked about
transwomen and transmen separately, the results were similar for these two groups.
In contrast, a 2026 JL Partners poll for Sex Matters found just one-in-five (19%) adults think
people ‘should be allowed to use whichever facilities they prefer’. In the same poll, over one-third
of respondents said people ‘should use the facilities of their sex at birth’ (36%) and another third
said ‘they should not use facilities of the opposite sex but there should be an alternative’ (34%).9
These results suggest students may be a little more favourable than the public overall towards
those who wish to use the changing facility for their gender rather than the one for their sex
at birth – but it is notable that both a majority of students and a majority of the whole adult
population pick other options.

These results suggest students may be a little more favourable than the public overall towards
those who wish to use the changing facility for their gender rather than the one for their sex
at birth – but it is notable that both a majority of students and a majority of the whole adult
population pick other options.

Very interesting finding, because it is specifically looking at students rather than young people in general. I expect the TRAs will be working overtime to discredit this one.
Thanks for posting.

I suspect when they are polled anonymously, they are much more honest when there is no risk of being socially ostracised.

One half's encouraging, the fact that they're young should also be taken into account, they maybe old enough to make their own decisions but that doesn't mean they wise enough to make good one's. Who knows what they'll think this time next year, if you can't swap and chance your mind when your young, when can you.

It just goes to show how authoritarian the TRAs must be to keep this majority so subdued. I suppose it is possible that the TRAs dominate because it is a big issue for them and the silent majority haven't quite figured out the bigger picture yet, so are not so vocal. However, that majority is only going to grow and harden as the cohort ages and gains life experiences that make them realise the seriousness of the situation. An encouraging piece of data.