Update on plans for the next census (sex question)

[MurrayBlackburnMackenzie]

We know there are occasional posts on FWR asking about where things are with plans for the next UK census.

We've just published this blog, which hopefully explains where we are.

In brief:

The census in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will take place on 21 March 2021. It has been postponed until 2022 in Scotland.

The longstanding, compulsory sex question will remain, with respondents able to choose 'male' or 'female'.

There will be a new, voluntary gender identity question in England, Wales and Scotland.

Right now the census authorities intend to carry guidance to accompany the sex question that instructs respondents to answer based on their gender identity (not their sex) and it's this which leading social scientists are concerned about.

murrayblackburnmackenzie.org/2020/09/24/back-under-the-radar-a-review-of-plans-for-the-census/

Happy to answer any questions anyone has!

Kath, Lucy and Lisa

so basically they're not recording sex but gender identity and the having another question on gender identity as well

ffs

its actually important for things like planning health care that we have accurate data. THat guidance is ridiculous!

This is a joke. Ffs.

That's completely bonkers. What's wrong with the perfectly obvious, common-sense approach of asking for bio sex (in whatever way they want to word it to be tactful, as long as it's clear that it does mean biological sex rather than legal or gender identity, and preferably not using "assigned at birth" cos that's nonsense) and a separate question or two asking whether they identify as something different and if so, what? (It would also be an option to ask whether they have a GRC, if data on that would be useful and if that's allowed).

I know next years census will generally be online but do you know if there will still be door knockers visiting people who have not filled it in?

So two gender identity questions and no sex questions.

Idiots.

How can we fill this in? My sex is not an identity.

This is infuriating. How is it possible for the people who run the census to not understand the implications of this!

Why on earth can't they just have the gender question as an additional. The health requirements for men and women will be skewed, especially as Stonewall's stats on gender keep multiplying.

What about all those who are non-binary etc. what will the census decide for their healthcare needs?

Life used to be so easy

So stonewall and all the other Gender ID groups who were consulted (behind closed doors) actually want to hide the number of trans folk in the UK? They don't want it recorded, known, turned into stats?

Information that could help support the cause? That could show the magnitude of trans presence, the infraction of their sub standard treatment and the amplifiable social challenges we face.

Why, tell me why THEY don't want this information known. Speaks volumes.

I know next years census will generally be online but do you know if there will still be door knockers visiting people who have not filled it in?

I think I read on an earlier thread that we have the option of requesting paper forms? Because that's what I intend to do, so I can add my own amendments where necessary.

Why put the gender identity question in if there is also a question about sex based on gender identity - what is this supposed to tell them?

They're recording gender identity twice, and sex not at all?

Well, it's persistent, consistent, and insistent, I'll give them that.

Thanks for your work on this, OP.

It's baffling, isn't it? What is the point of gathering mass data if one of the basic demographic metrics is knowingly made unreliable?

That blog yet again highlights how yet another organisation has been policy captured by the undemocratic yet exceptionally influential Stonewall.
Every time questions are asked there they are doing deals in the interests of their members behind closed doors. It's corruption.

Just to answer some of the questions above:

This is what the census authorities are calling a 'digital first' census, i.e. they want over 70% of questionnaires to be completed online.

However, you will still be free to request a paper copy if you want one.

And yes, there will still be people door-knocking to chase people who have not completed (census.gov.uk/jobs/).

This is what the census authorities are calling a 'digital first' census, i.e. they want over 70% of questionnaires to be completed online. However, you will still be free to request a paper copy if you want one.

Thanks for confirming! So, to be bloody awkward women, we should all request paper copies?

Who should be contact to raise concerns about this? Although if they have ignored the concerns of 80 social scientists it makes we wonder if it would do any good...

@TheElementsOfMedical

This is what the census authorities are calling a 'digital first' census, i.e. they want over 70% of questionnaires to be completed online. However, you will still be free to request a paper copy if you want one.

Thanks for confirming! So, to be bloody awkward women, we should all request paper copies?

The paper copies will still have to be typed up and therefore "interpreted - perhaps not in the way that the individual intended, so will the resistance/ data-contamination even be recorded?

Perhaps non-compliance, mentioned by other posters, will also permit "translation" of answers, but at least it will create a bigger cost for the census organisations, so perhaps this is the better protest?

@MurrayBlackburnMackenzie, what is the clearest way to demonstrate the contamination of census data? Non-compliance, threatening to give nonsense answers or adding to the cost by requesting paper forms?

Oh dear!

I can see a lot of non compliance, additional information etc.

Surely someone will see the point women, and leading social scientists, are making!

Mass Misinformation

What's the point?

I've name changed and don't want to say too much but I do know some people at the ONS and there are definitely GC voices in there who are trying to get heard. I'm going to see if I can get someone of influence to read the MBK blog post, although who knows if it'll make any difference. At least 1 person I know there is very angry and frustrated by all this. They don't have the job security yet to make too many waves but can still try and make sure important info reaches the right people.

Thank you Eyesontheinside, that's good to know. Please keep us updated if you can.

Thanks for all your work on this - bookmarking to read properly later.

I don’t understand how they can justify the cost of two questions which give kind of the same & also confusing (useless) data?!
My knowledge base is in clinical research but I assume they have the same need to justify (& clean?) every data point they collect

This isn't going to capture accurate data about the size of the trans population, is it?

Dysphoric male people have the option of ticking sex:female, gender ID:woman.

The only trans people whom this will detect as trans are those who understand that sex and gender aren't the same thing. As a data-gathering exercise this is not going to do gender-dysphorics any favours at all.

So how to bio women answer the sex question if it is framed as gender? If they are not asking about biological sex then I'd have to put other as obviously dont believe in gender woo woo.