Albertans divided on proposed gender policies for youth: poll
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Published Feb 16, 2024 • Last updated 5 days ago • 4 minute read
According to a Leger poll released Friday, Albertans have had mixed reactions to proposed changes for gender-diverse youths in the province. Photo by David Bloom /PostmediaArticle content
Nearly half of Albertans think the provincial government’s new policies surrounding gender-affirming care set clear rules that will benefit children, but about one-third see it as an attack on transgender kids, a new poll suggests.
According to a Leger poll released Friday, Albertans have had mixed reactions to Premier Danielle Smith’s proposed changes for gender-diverse youths in the province. The government announced plans earlier this month to enact restrictions by the end of the year on children accessing hormone treatment and surgery for gender affirmation, prohibit them from changing their names or pronouns at school, and ban transgender girls and women from competing in women’s sports.
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Just under half of poll respondents (44 per cent) agree with Smith’s policies to restrict hormone treatment and puberty blockers for kids under 15. The same number supported the proposed ban on gender-affirming surgery for those under 18.
Opposition to the proposed restrictions is nearly equal to the amount of support, but divisions arise when considering parental consent.
“Where there seems to be kind of consistent lesser support is when you get into situations where parents don’t have to be involved,” said Andrew Enns with Leger. “You see that garnering kind of lowest support in terms of an option for government policy.”
Thirty-five per cent say surgeries should be available with an OK from parents, and almost three in 10 Albertans polled (29 per cent) say access to hormone treatments and puberty blockers should be available with parental consent. Only 10 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively, say the parental go-ahead shouldn’t be required for surgeries and hormone therapy.
According to the poll, the greatest division in opinion exists on the issue of hormone treatments and puberty blockers for older teens, aged 16 and 17. About a third (34 per cent) go a step further than the government, suggesting that such treatments shouldn’t be available until adulthood, while 28 per cent believe it should be allowed with parental consent — as Smith’s proposal suggests — and 25 per cent think it should be up to the teen and their doctors alone.
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Opinions are also split on the government’s proposal to require parents to opt-in to allow schools to teach their kids anything about gender identity, sexual orientation or human sexuality. Thirty-seven per cent agreed with the proposed policy but, again, the issue is confounded by the issue of how much parent involvement is required. Twenty-seven per cent were in favour of parent notification but no sign-off, and another 23 per cent said parents shouldn’t have to be notified at all.
The most supported aspect of the policy changes is the bid to bar trans girls and women from participating in women’s sports leagues, with 67 per cent of poll respondents agreeing with the government’s move.
Leger says respondents with kids in their homes were slightly more likely to favour the government’s proposed policies than those without children.
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Alberta mostly in line with national views
Leger posed similar questions in a national poll, but Enns said differences between Alberta and other provinces didn’t really jump out, mostly falling in line with the national average — except for two questions.
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Albertans, at 32 per cent, were among the most likely to see the proposed policies as an attack on transgender youths, topping most other provinces besides Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
“Those are three provinces where this has actually been actively sort of debated,” said Enns. “I think it’s sort of torqued the conversation a little bit higher in those provinces.”
Additionally, 47 per cent of Albertans polled said the federal government shouldn’t intervene in provincial gender policies that restrict the abilities of children to transition genders, well above the 30 to 40 per cent range seen in other provinces.
NDP supporters ‘divided’ on approach
Through a political lens, prospective UCP voters polled largely backed Smith’s proposed policies, but Enns said supporters of the NDP are “a little bit more divided.”
While more than seven in 10 NDP voters polled supported the allowance of gender-affirming surgeries for minors in certain cases, there was a split on whether parental consent should be required; 47 per cent said parents should have a say, while 24 per cent said kids shouldn’t require parental consent for surgeries. Among UCP supporters, 63 per cent were in favour Smith’s proposed ban on gender reassignment surgeries for anyone under 18.
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The results were similar on the issue of hormone treatments and puberty blockers for kids 15 and under, with UCP supporters backing the government policy and NDP voters opposing, but split on the specifics.
The poll also looked at political party preference in Alberta, with the UCP continuing to lead the way at 49 per cent popular support. The NDP trails at 42 per cent support provincewide.
Leger’s Alberta-based poll was based on an online survey involving 1,002 adult Albertans, conducted between Feb. 12 and Jan. 15. The pollster said a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
mrodriguez@postmedia.com
X: @MichaelRdrguez
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