Poll focuses on gender ID for kids

Children should not be taught their gender can be changed, according to a poll commissioned by Family First.

The poll of 1000 people found 54 per cent did not believe children should be taught their gender can be changed through surgery and hormone treatment, compared with 35 per cent who thought they should be, and 11 per cent who were unsure.

It also found 46 per cent of people believe toilets and changing rooms should be based on biological sex, while 36 per cent believe they should be based on gender identity. The other 18 per cent were unsure.

When it came to children playing in sports team based on biological sex or gender identity, people were evenly divided on 39 per cent for and against and 22 per cent were unsure.

Males, people living in provincial and rural areas, and those aged 18 to 40 were more likely to want sport based on biological sex.

For all three questions, the highest support for biological sex over gender identity were NZ First and National voters, and lowest were Green voters.

Family First national director Bob McCoskrie said policymakers should be concerned with how misguided school policies, including the sex education curriculum, might encourage students to identify as girls when they are boys, and vice versa, and might result in prolonged difficulties.

“These indoctrination programmes are simply confusing and stressing our children.”

The Curia Market Research poll last month has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 per cent.