Update on research into gender identity data in Census 2021 - ONS says no issues found

[IwantToRetire]

We have now published our first research report, which examines whether the information that people provided on the Census was coded and processed accurately. The report of this investigation ‘Collecting and processing Census 2021 data on gender identity’ concludes that 94% of respondents to the Census answered the question and there is no evidence to suggest that the published results were not coded or processed accurately.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/news/statementsandletters/updateonresearchintogenderidentitydataincensus2021

So they’re saying it’s true, there ARE more trans people in Newham than Brighton?

Amazing..

The coding of write-in answers did not make use of information from the sex question. It was recognised that some trans people might record the same response for both sex and gender identity. Write-in responses of "man" or "woman" were therefore coded to "trans man" or "trans woman".

I bet they transed a load of people who didn't understand the question.

I must admit I haven't read their response in full, but even so I cant get my head round them thinking they could work out what people intended without talking to them.

I can only hope that if they go ahead and ask the question in the next census they ralise that the questions were so badly drafted that they could get answers based on multiple interpretations of the question?s.

Checking the answers were coded and processed correctly (or ‘as intended’) isn’t really the same thing as saying the data is correct. I don’t think it accounts for badly worded or widely misunderstood questions?

So this is basically clearing the staff who processed the census and shifting blame into the people who wrote it?

I'll be interested to see what Alice Sullivan and co make of it. To me it looks like they went through a process to check some processes, and not at the core issues that were raised. Hmmm

So they’ve quality assured the “coding and processing” element? Meaning that they’ve checked that all the back office workers were consistent in the way they handled the incoming data they were presented with?

But doesn’t say anything about whether there were issues with the incoming data?

Lol nice bit of strategic dimness ONS. They know full well the issue was not whether the data from the completed census was entered correctly but that the question was phrased so badly in the first place

Yes, though I think they're hoping that people will misinterpret this as there being 'nothing wrong with' the data but we all know that's rubbish and the questions were misleading and for many difficult to answer.

We all know there aren't more 'trans' people in Newham than Brighton.

Agree absolutely - this is weasel words. How well something is 'coded and processed' is very different from how it is 'aswered'.

“There are two kinds of people in the world: those who believe that numbers never lie, and those who know better.” – Mark Twain

I do hope this is taken up publicly, not just because of inaccurate census figures, but also how this report thinks it can claim because one part of the process way okay therefore the whole census was okay.

If these are the people in charge of collecting data on which Governments and local authorities are supposed to base decisions, how can anyone have any faith in them / the process?

Absolutely. And on top of that, because the census questions are widely recognised as the gold standard for collecting population data, they are used in a wide range of other research/survey activities, so the sphere of influence (and opportunity for shit data to be misused) is wider still.

It seems someone is giving it another coat of looking at

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11966765/Fears-transgender-issues-exaggerated-trans-population-overestimated-census.html

Well they would say that, wouldn't they?

There's no denying there are some anomalies in the data that don't make sense. It would be interesting to get to the bottom of them so the correct number could be calculated, otherwise what's the point of the census?

This is what happens when once respected institutions sign up to the trans lobby. They produce incoherent, scientifically / mathematically illogical data and text because they're in hock to an ideology that openly undermines facts, biology and rational thought.
It's very sad to see.

Please let the researchers keep picking at this absolute farce until there is some big media reaction. This is an absolute scandal. The questions were so badly written and biased towards cartons interests that we have fucked up our national dataset, just as women said we would. ONS should be absolutely hauled over the coals for this. They marched on pigheadedly knowing these problems and only listening to the TRA lobby.

I cannot understand why a brand new question wasn't thoroughly checked and put to focus groups to ensure ALL understood what was being asked before rolling it out in the form they did.

I think there is (was?) a transwoman high up in the ons. Probably a coincidence 🤔

Yes I remember that being the case as well

Yes. If it's not self invested individuals it seems to be the parents of gender confused children - all with the same result that professional organisations abandon their knowledge and skills and capitulate to the gender woowoo worldview - for fear of being seen as bigots?

Sorry haven't got the link to the thread, but this was my response to the research by MBM on how few people understood what trans meant.

their research definitely calls into question the weakness of the question.
https://murrayblackburnmackenzie.org/2023/08/07/clarity-matters-how-placating-lobbyists-obscures-public-understanding-of-sex-and-gender/

Christ that blog! Essential reading:

‘We did not expect to find quite how poorly understood these terms are… terms were correctly understood by fewer than two-thirds of those asked. The remaining responses split roughly evenly between those who misunderstood, and those who were not sure.’

ONS should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. They should have been testing their questions to destruction with all sections of society. Clearly they only listed to certain groups.

This is particularly awful because public and charitable funding will be diverted from other groups to support this one group, which doesn’t exist in anything like ONS’ stated numbers.

ONS still digging in. Sorry no share token, maybe someone else can oblige. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ons-digs-in-over-misunderstood-trans-census-question-t8ssj7cg7