A survey for trans people, by trans people.
As a community-based survey, the USTS was developed with the assistance of dozens of individuals and organizations with robust connections to trans people and communities throughout the United States and with subject-matter expertise.
A Scientific Advisory Council of experts in research on trans populations and data analysis also advised on questionnaire development and data collection.
An Outreach Council of advocates, direct service providers, community leaders, and others with strong connections to trans people and communities across the United States advised on conducting outreach to recruit potential respondents into the survey. The Outreach Council was essential in building and maintaining a network of hundreds of supporting organizations and individuals who spread the word about the USTS and contributed to the overwhelming participation in the survey. The Outreach Council was also crucial to ensuring the participation of a wide range of trans people with diverse experiences, particularly those whose experiences are often underrepresented in surveys, such as people of color, people with disabilities, older adults, and those who reside in rural locations.
Forthcoming reports on the 2022 USTS will be invaluable resources that present a full portrait of the lives and experiences of trans people in the United States.
What’s New
The 2022 USTS was expanded to address lessons learned from the 2015 USTS, respond to the evolving sociopolitical landscape, and increase knowledge of the lives and experiences of trans people in the United States.
The 2022 USTS also employed an updated outreach model that built upon successful approaches from the prior survey, such as early engagement with the community using a “survey pledge,” through which more than 34,000 people pledged to take the survey once it launched. The longer outreach period also allowed for the opportunity to reach more trans people. And with more than 600 potential questions depending on a respondent’s experiences and answer choices (i.e., skip logic), the 2022 USTS explored new topics such as experiences with COVID-19, family planning, physical health, reproductive health, athletics, and satisfaction with transition-related experiences. It also took a deeper dive into topics such as gender identity and expression, mental health, and gender-affirming care.
Methodology
The U.S. Transgender Survey (USTS) was administered online in English and Spanish, and open to binary and nonbinary transgender people aged 16 and older residing in the United States, a U.S. territory, or a U.S. military base overseas. The survey instrument included questions covering a wide range of experiences and issues, such as those related to health care, employment, education, housing, and public accommodations. Findings represent the overall findings for each topic examined, presented as weighted percentages. Results are only reported for respondents aged 18 and older, except as noted for findings that also include 16- and 17-year-olds. Findings presented in figures and tables may not always add up to 100% due to rounding.
Learn more about our methodology by downloading the Early Insights Report.
