Adam Zivo: Survey shows immigrants and minorities less supportive of gender expression

A person standing on asphalt road with gender symbols of male, female, bigender and transgender. Concept of choice or gender confusion or dysphoria. Photo by iStockphoto /Getty Images/iStockphoto

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A new government report, which analyzes recent survey data gathered on gender-based issues, has indirectly confirmed that Canadian support for transgender rights is falling, and that immigrants and ethnic minorities are comparatively conservative on these matters. Though unsurprising, these insights deal yet another blow against the myths of “intersectional” progressivism and make a strong case for further ethnicity-based social research.

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Published in Statistics Canada’s Juristat, the report draws from the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS), which was conducted in 2018 and 2025. The survey asked Canadians to respond to eight statements related to sexism, LGBT issues and intimate partner violence, and, thanks to its large sample size (46,511 in 2025), permits credible analysis of niche subpopulations.

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Transgender acceptance was measured using two statements: 1) “people should be able to express their gender however they choose,” and 2) “I would support a family member if they came out as transgender.”

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The 2025 results show that, although most Canadians still agree with these statements, their backing has noticeably fallen since 2018 and varies significantly between demographic groups.

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Women have been more progressive on LGBT issues, but their support for free gender expression decreased from 85 per cent to 77 per cent, while support among men decreased from 78 per cent to 70 per cent. Similarly, female support for accepting transgender family members decreased slightly from 80 per cent to 77 per cent, while male support decreased somewhat more dramatically, from 72 per cent to 65 per cent.

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Survey respondents were slightly more supportive of free gender expression if they were more educated or lived in urban areas and, far more supportive if they identified as homosexual or bisexual. Women were also more supportive if they were younger or had higher incomes, although age only varied in that 25-34 year-old men were roughly 4 per cent more supportive than the other age cohorts and male earnings had almost no consequential effect on male responses.

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Crucially, the 2025 survey showed that immigrants and certain ethnic minorities were more socially conservative than the general population.

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Foreign-born women, for example, were noticeably less supportive of free gender expression than their native-born counterparts (70 per cent versus 80 per cent) —  a gap that was similar, albeit smaller, for equivalent men (67 per cent versus 71 per cent).

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When averaging out male and female responses, Caucasian and Indigenous respondents supported free gender expression at almost the same rates (76 per cent and 74 per cent, respectively), but non-Indigenous minorities, also known as “racialized” Canadians, were slightly less accepting, with 69 per cent support.