Poll: Ohio residents split on transgender bathroom issue

By Marc Kovac | June 24, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

COLUMBUS

Voters in Ohio and two other swing states are split on whether to allow transgender residents to use the bathroom of their choice, according to a Quinnipiac University Polling Institute survey released Thursday.

In Ohio, 48 percent of voters said transgender people should not be allowed to choose a bathroom, versus 43 percent who said they should. Fifty-five percent also oppose mandated bathroom policies at public schools.

In Florida and Pennsylvania, 48 percent and 49 percent of voters, respectively, supported allowing residents to use the bathroom consistent with their gender identity. Forty-four percent of Florida voters and 43 percent of Pennsylvania voters opposed the move.

And more than half of those questioned in both states opposed school bathroom mandates.

The results have a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.

“The issue of transgender people and the use of public bathrooms finds voters split on exactly what should be done,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the poll, said in a released statement. “Voters in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania oppose the federal government order to public schools that they must let transgender students use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify. But they are split roughly evenly on whether these students should be able to use whatever bathroom they choose.”

Connecticut-based Quinnipiac regularly gauges the opinions of voters in Ohio and other swing states on candidates and issues.

Its survey released Thursday included 971 Ohio voters who were questioned over the phone earlier this month.

Among other poll results, 49 percent of Ohioans are “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about the Zika virus, which is spread by certain types of mosquitoes and is of particular concern to pregnant women.

A little more than half of Ohio voters said the U.S. Olympic team should compete in summer games in Brazil, despite the risk.