Currently, most federally-supported population-based surveys do not include measures to identify transgender and other gender minority respondents, according to a report released by the Williams Institute on behalf of the Gender Identity in U.S. Surveillance (GenIUSS) group. The report entitled, "Best Practices for Asking Questions to Identify Transgender and Other Gender Minority Respondents on Population-Based Surveys," assesses current practices in sex and gender-related population research and offers strategies for establishing consistent, scientifically rigorous procedures for gathering information relevant to the needs and experiences of transgender people and other gender minorities.
The American Community Survey, the Current Population Survey, the Survey of Income and Program Participation, the National Crime Victimization Survey, the National Health Interview Survey, and the National Survey of Veterans are among the federally-supported population-based surveys that currently do not include measures to identify gender minority respondents. These are top-priority surveys for including recommended sex and gender-related measures.
"Research tells us that transgender people and other gender minorities face discrimination that impacts their health and well-being," says Jody L. Herman, who served as editor for the report and leads Williams Institute transgender research efforts. “Having representative data on the social, economic, and health status of gender minorities is key to guiding efforts by government and nonprofit agencies to address disparities."
The report recommends various promising measures and measurement approaches for identifying respondents as gender minorities in general population surveys. Among the most effective is the "two step" approach, which includes measures of self-reported assigned sex at birth (the sex recorded on one?s original birth certificate) and gender identity at the time of the survey.
Related to this post:
Creating Authentic Spaces: A Gender Identity and Gender Expression Toolkit: This toolkit provides constructive and tangible steps on how to implement anti-discrimination policies around gender identity and gender expression, as well as strategies and suggestions on creating affirming spaces for people who identify as trans and gender non-conforming.