Washington, D.C. — Ahead of the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. BPJ and Little v. Hecox, a new National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) poll finds that voters nationwide do not believe the Court should be setting official policy on whether transgender students can participate in school sports. Voters are also not in favor of reversing state-based protections for trans student athletes. 

Despite outsized attention to the issue by the Trump administration, most voters believe that decisions about trans inclusion in school sports should be left up to athletic associations or local school districts, and not the Supreme Court or federal government.

Read the full polling memo here. Key findings from the poll include: 

• Only 29% of voters believe that the Supreme Court should decide official policy on whether trans students should be allowed to participate in school sports. 
• 55% of all voters believe that athletic associations or local school officials should set the official eligibility policy for trans students. This opinion is shared by a strong majority of moderate voters (64%), Hispanic voters (61%), and Black voters (72%).
• A plurality of voters (44%) believe that states with trans-inclusive athletics policies should be able to implement those policies without interference.
• 58% of voters disapprove of methods to verify student eligibility for sports participation that require some girls to submit to a physical examination, which is currently at issue in the Idaho state law being challenged in Hecox v. Little. 
• Trans athlete participation in sports is a low priority for voters, ranking last on a list of 19 priority issues, including healthcare, jobs and economy, and immigration. 

“The politicians who obsess about restricting trans students are missing the mark: voters want every child to have access to a high-quality, safe, and inclusive education,” said Brian Dittmeier, director of LGBTQI+ equality at NWLC. “Exclusionary policies–like sports bans–send a harmful message that some children don’t belong. Regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision in Hecox and BPJ, we won’t stop fighting until every child is welcomed and supported in all aspects of their school experience.”

NWLC continues to track the Trump administration’s attacks on trans-inclusive schools. NWLC partnered with YouGov to commission this poll, which was conducted May 18 to May 22, 2026.