Poll: Republican support for transgender service members rising

Republican support for transgender service members in the U.S. military is rising, according to a survey published Tuesday. 

The PRRI poll found that 47 percent of Republicans now support transgender military service — up 10 points from 2017 — despite a Trump administration policy that bars most transgender people from serving in the military unless they serve under their biological sex. 

Support for transgender military service among President Trump’s supporters is identical to that of Republican respondents, the survey found. 

The overall support for transgender military service dropped 1 point in the new poll to 63 percent. 

More than half of respondents, 62 percent, said that they have become more supportive of transgender rights over the past five years, including 76 percent of Democrats, 64 percent of independents and 47 percent of Republicans. One-quarter of all respondents say they have become less supportive in recent years.   

Researchers interviewed 1,100 adults between April 9 and April 20. The results have a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.