Scepticism over trans rights is growing in the UK, according to a poll – with views seemingly shifting among younger people.

Long-running YouGov research has found that nearly half of Brits – 48 per cent – are opposed to legal gender change being allowed.

That was up 11 percentage points in the past two years, and higher than the 34 per cent who supported the idea. 

More than a third believed that ‘social’ gender change should not be permitted, compared to 49 per cent who backed it.

Meanwhile, majorities among both men and women now oppose hormone treatment being available on the NHS for those who want to switch sex.

YouGov also detected mounting concerns among younger people, with a 16 point rise in 18-24 year olds who oppose legal gender change, to 36 per cent. Half still support it being allowed. 

The apparent movement comes after campaigning on women’s rights by prominent figures such as Harry Potter author JK Rowling. 

Some 41 per cent said they had paid ‘a lot’ or a ‘fair amount’ of attention to the issues in the latest survey, conducted in December, up from 35 per cent in the 2022 wave. 

YouGov said the results pointed to a ‘growing resistance on transgender rights among those groups that are typically more permissive on the issue, like women and young people’.

‘In fact, the only question on which women now take the permissive view on transgender rights is saying that people should be able to change their gender socially, although at 55 per cent this still represents an eight point drop since the 2022 survey,’ the firm said.

‘When it comes to whether or not people should be able to change their gender legally, there has been a crossover among women. 

‘While in 2022 women supported allowing people to change their gender legally by 44 per cent to 32 per cent, these figures have since shifted to 37 per cent who continue to be in favour but 42 per cent now opposed.’

:: YouGov surveyed 2,078 adults in Britain between December 17 and 18 last year