Counting Ourselves: The health and wellbeing of trans and non-binary people in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

Counting Ourselves is the first comprehensive national survey of the health and wellbeing of trans and non-binary people living in Aotearoa New Zealand and was conducted from 21 June till 30 September 2018. We worked with a diverse community advisory group to design the questions. Our team is based at the University of Waikato and we also collaborated with other academics, health professionals, community organisations and policymakers with an interest in the wellbeing of trans and non-binary people. We had 1,178 survey participants, with 99% of them completing the survey online. The survey had participants from all regions in the country, who ranged in age from 14 to 83. Most were either youth aged 14–24 (46%) or adults aged 25–54 (47%). Almost half (45%) of participants were non-binary, and we had slightly more trans men (29%) than trans women (26%). The survey had a higher proportion of European participants and a lower proportion of Asian participants than the general population. A quarter of participants had a disability.