60% of Americans say people can't switch genders, up from years past: poll

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The overwhelming majority of Americans say a person’s gender cannot be changed, up from years past, signaling a possible shift in attitudes toward transgender rights, according to a new poll.

A new survey released by the Pew Research Center on Tuesday revealed that 60% of adults believe a person’s gender is determined by their sex assigned at birth. That number is up 4 percentage points from the previous year – 56% in 2021 – and up 6 percentage points from 54% in 2017.

According to the Pew survey, "no single demographic group is driving this change, and patterns in who is more likely to say this are similar to what they were in past years."

Lia Thomas looks on from the podium after finishing fifth in the 200 Yard Freestyle during the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championship at the McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology on March 18, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Mike Comer/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The survey found that 86% of Republicans and those who lean Republican say gender is determined by sex assigned at birth, compared to 38% of Democrats and those who lean Democratic.

AMERICANS OVERWHELMINGLY OPPOSE TRANSGENDER ATHLETES IN FEMALE SPORTS, POLL SHOWS

The survey also found that 64% said they support laws to protect transgender people from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces.

A person holds up a flag during rally to protest the Trump administration's reported transgender proposal to narrow the definition of gender to male or female at birth, at City Hall in New York City, U.S., Oct. 24, 2018. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo)

Meanwhile, the majority of adults – 58% – say they would favor policies that require transgender athletes to compete on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth rather than the gender they identify with, compared with 17% who oppose and 24% who have no opinion, according to the poll.

The finding on transgender athletes echoes a recent Washington Post-University of Maryland survey, which found that 58% of Americans say transgender women should not be allowed to compete in college or professional sports. A whopping 68% of respondents in that survey said that if transgender girls are allowed to compete against biological girls in youth sports, "transgender girls would have a competitive advantage over other girls."

Lia Thomas looks on after winning the Women's 500 Yard Freestyle during the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championship at the McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology on March 17, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Mike Comer/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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The Pew poll comes amid a heated national debate surrounding women's sports and fairness, spurred by the rise of now-former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, and her record-breaking wins competing on the women’s team. Thomas, who previously competed on the school’s men’s team, has insisted she doesn't  hold a competitive advantage over her female teammates.

Republican legislatures across the country have sought to protect women’s sports by banning trans athlete participation on women’s teams. Louisiana recently became the 18th state to require that schools separate teams according to the biological sex of the team members.