Fox News Poll: 86% Say Political Attacks On Trans Kids Are A Problem

Anti-trans politics are woefully unpopular. Focusing on anti-trans legislation and political messaging may sink the GOP in 2024.

Over the past year, there have been clear indications that anti-trans politics do not resonate with the majority of the electorate. During legislative hearings, few individuals voice support for bills targeting transgender youth, while opposition consistently floods the proceedings. The 2022 elections echoed this sentiment, as candidates and state parties that directed their campaign spending toward anti-trans attack ads experienced resounding losses in most instances. Polls have consistently shown that the majority of people oppose legislation seeking to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

A recent Fox News poll, employing a unique framing of the question, sheds light on precisely why these political attacks fail to secure victories. The survey reveals that 86% of respondents consider "politically motivated attacks on trans kids" to be a problem, with 57% characterizing these attacks as a "major problem." This data underscores the growing consensus that targeting transgender youth is not a winning political strategy.

See the toplines of the poll here:

Fox News Poll: “Are families with trans children being targets of political attacks a problem?”

This result is stunning. Although numerous surveys have explored personal opinions on transgender policies concerning sports, healthcare, and education, few polls have delved into public sentiment about the broad wave of legislation itself that targets transgender individuals. This Fox News poll shows that while polls may vary on individual topics and wording, overall, the American public is increasingly growing alarmed at anti-trans legislation and politics. This trend may well portend disaster for a Republican Party that has seemingly succumbed to the influence of the far-right and fervently pursued anti-transgender policies.

This would be a bad enough result for the organizations that are pushing these policies and the candidates campaigning on them. However, another finding in this poll exacerbates the perils associated with pursuing anti-transgender policies. Out of all the issues that matter to the American populace, transgender-related concerns ranked tied at the very bottom.

See this result:

Trans issues ranked at the bottom of the list of things people care about.

Taken together, these poll results suggest a potentially calamitous storm brewing for the Republican Party. Currently, over 515 anti-transgender bills are being proposed or passed in state legislatures throughout the United States. Spurred by organizations such as the American Principles Project and the Alliance Defending Freedom, the GOP has adopted this issue as its primary focus. Many Republican lawmakers seem unable to go a single day without discussing it, while Freedom Caucus social media accounts incessantly emphasize anti-transgender politics. It is highly likely that a barrage of anti-transgender attack ads will inundate television screens during the 2024 general election, just as they did in 2022. The chasm between the public's concerns regarding transgender issues and the Republican Party's actions could not be more profound.

In 2022, the American Principles Project invested $50 million in anti-transgender attack ads. Candidates across numerous states campaigned on anti-transgender issues. For example, in Georgia, Herschel Walker was joined by anti-transgender swimmer Riley Gaines in the final weeks of the campaign to attack Senator Warnock. In Arizona, Kari Lake focused on Katie Hobbs' husband's support for transgender teens during the closing weeks of her campaign. Michigan witnessed millions of dollars spent on anti-transgender ads, while in Wisconsin, advertisements promoting the Republican Supreme Court candidate inundated the state due to the Democratic candidate's support for trans individuals. One common thread connects all these races: Republicans suffered resounding defeats, unable to capitalize on an anti-transgender message they seem increasingly eager to embrace this year.

Moving forward, it seems like this strategy that the Republican Party seems unable or unwilling to back off of may backfire in a tremendous fashion. In the meantime, Democrats seem completely unwilling to cede any ground. A poll like this means they are even less likely to do so in the future.