Scottish ministers are under pressure to drop plans to extend transgender rights after a voter backlash was revealed in a Panelbase poll for The Sunday Times.

The SNP government has supported controversial guidance that suggests teachers need not tell parents if a child wants to identify as a different gender. The advice, from LGBT Youth Scotland, also says there is no reason for parents to be told if their children are sharing rooms with trans pupils on school trips. The government is also considering letting children as young as 12 alter the gender on their birth certificate.

The changes are at the heart of Nicola Sturgeon’s equality drive, but the poll of 1,024 adults in Scotland suggests she is out of step with public opinion.