80 per cent of trans people happier after transitioning, new poll reveals. No one is surprised

A survey has confirmed what we already knew: the majority of adults who have transitioned say it made them more satisfied with their lives. 

The research, conducted by the Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), asked more than 500 trans adults questions relating to their childhood, family and other life experiences. 

A staggering 78 per cent of respondents said living as a gender outside of the one they were assigned at birth increased their satisfaction in life, the Washington Post reported.

“Living doesn’t hurt anymore,” TC Caldwell, a 37-year-old Black non-binary person, told the Post. 

“It feels good to just breathe and be myself.”

Four out of 10 ‘a lot more’ satisfied after transitioning

More than four out of 10 adults said that they are “a lot more” satisfied having transitioned.

Three in 10 people polled began telling people they were trans before the age of 18. 

A third (32 per cent) of participants came out as trans between the ages of 18 and 25, with others coming out later and 12 per cent of trans adults choosing not to tell anyone. 

Sadly, the survey also found trans adults were more likely to report having not had a happy childhood, with 46 per cent of trans adults saying this with the case, compared to 19 per cent of the general population. 

Overall rates of life satisfaction among trans adults were lower than the general population, and many trans participants said that was mostly due to discrimination.

Around 25 per cent of trans adults were found to have faced physical assault due to their gender identity, expression or sexual orientation, with many reporting day-to-day harassment. 

One in four trans adults reported having been physically attacked because of their gender identity, gender expression or sexual identity. 

More than six in 10 (64 per cent) said they had been verbally attacked for just living as themselves. 

The survey found the majority of trans adults (62 per cent) identify as non-binary, while 33 per cent identify as a trans man or woman. 

According to the Post, the poll is the largest non-governmental survey of US transgender adults to rely on random sampling methods. 

Report that trans people are happier living in their affirmed gender is nothing new

In January, a US-based study published by the New England Journal of Medicine confirmed that gender-affirming care improves the mental health of trans teens.

An earlier study published by The Lancet in 2022 found the majority of adolescent patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria stick with gender-affirming treatments as they get older.

Further research into the quality of life and levels of dysphoria among young trans people following top surgery found that “gender-affirming top surgery is associated with improved chest dysphoria, gender congruence, and body image in this age group”.