People were asked about sports, toilets and their views on the ruling in general in new survey
A majority of Britons believe the Supreme Court was right to rule that the legal definitions of “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex, according to new polling data released this week.
The YouGov survey, commissioned by the gender-critical organisation Sex Matters, questioned over 2,100 adults across Great Britain earlier this month in the wake of April’s landmark court decision. The ruling, which followed a legal challenge brought by For Women Scotland (FWS) against the Scottish Government, clarified that legal references to “women” in single-sex spaces and policies pertain to biological females.
According to the findings, 63% of those surveyed said the Supreme Court made the correct decision, while 52% agreed that the ruling has brought clarity to the law regarding women’s rights and their application to transgender individuals.
While only 13% of respondents said the judgment would personally impact them positively and 6% negatively, a striking 77% said it would make no real difference to their daily lives.
The ruling has already had wide-reaching effects. Following the judgment, governing bodies in England and Scotland confirmed that transgender women would no longer be permitted to compete in women’s football. Cricket authorities in England and Wales followed suit, enforcing similar restrictions in competitive girls’ and women’s matches.
The survey showed robust public support for these decisions, with 74% agreeing with the bans on transgender women competing in female-only sports. Just 12% expressed opposition, and 14% said they were unsure.
When it came to facilities such as toilets, opinion was more divided. Around 20% said transgender individuals should be allowed to use whichever toilets they feel most comfortable with. Meanwhile, about 40% supported the use of unisex facilities instead. On specific usage, 20% believed transgender women should use men’s toilets, while 14% felt they should use women’s. Similarly, 17% said transgender men should use the men’s, and another 17% said they should use the women’s toilets.
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden addressed the ruling’s implications, stating that it would mean individuals will need to use public facilities aligned with their biological sex. However, he added that there would be no enforcement mechanism – “no toilet police”, as he put it.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has since issued interim guidance recommending that trans women be excluded from women’s facilities in workplaces and public venues, with parallel recommendations for trans men. A full code of practice is expected to be presented to ministers for approval by June.
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The guidance has not gone without challenge. Last week, the Good Law Project announced it had initiated legal proceedings against the EHRC, arguing that the guidance was “wrong in law”. Several trans rights groups have also voiced concerns about the practicality and impact of the ruling on trans individuals.
Despite the controversy, supporters of the ruling see the public reaction as affirming. Susan Smith of For Women Scotland said the survey proves that “the more governments push gender identity ideology, the more failings are revealed which strengthens public opposition.”
She added: “This polling indicates that most people believe women’s human rights matter and that the court acted correctly in reinforcing clear definitions that protect those rights.”
Maya Forstater, chief executive of Sex Matters, welcomed the findings, saying: “The fact a majority now believe the ruling has clarified the law around women’s rights removes any justification for officials or institutions to delay action under the guise of uncertainty.”
The survey’s figures were weighted to reflect the demographic composition of the British adult population.
