London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

People can self-identify as male or female in Scottish census, says guidance

People can self-identify as male or female in Scottish census, says guidance

Answer to sex question can differ from birth certificate, without need for gender recognition certificate, says NRS
People can answer the male or female question in Scotland’s 2022 census based on how they identify themselves rather than according to legal status, according to new guidance from the body responsible for the survey.

Issued by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) on Tuesday, the guidelines tell people to answer the sex question according to how they self-identify, regardless of the details on their birth certificate or whether they have a gender recognition certificate.

“If you are transgender the answer you give can be different from what is on your birth certificate,” they say. “You do not need a gender recognition certificate (GRC).

“If you are non-binary or you are not sure how to answer, you could use the sex registered on your official documents, such as your passport.” A person’s sex on their passport can be altered without a formal legal process.

The census, which was delayed for a year because of the pandemic, also includes a voluntary question about transgender status or history for the first time, for those aged 16 or over.

Similar guidance for the England, Wales and Northern Ireland census had to be changed weeks before the official day to complete it on 21 March after a high court challenge brought by the campaign group Fair Play for Women successfully argued the advice “conflated and confused” sex with gender identity.

Equalities groups in Scotland have argued that trans men and women should continue to be allowed to answer the compulsory sex question with the sex in which they live and identify, as they were in the 2011 census under previous guidelines.

Research undertaken for NRS suggests three times as many trans and non-binary people would be willing to answer the sex question with self-identification guidance.

Welcoming the decision, the manager of Scottish Trans Alliance, Vic Valentine, said intensive research and testing found that continuing with previous guidance gave the best data.

“This means trans people can answer the sex question in a way that best reflects how we live our day-to-day lives … This provides the most useful information about trans people – as we lawfully interact with public bodies, use services, and update our identity documents in this way.

“Where people want to know if there are any differences between trans people and the general population, the new question on trans status and history will allow this information to be separated out and compared. Most estimates place trans people as less than 1% of the population [and] including us in this way will have no impact on overall data quality.”

Lisa Mackenzie of the policy analyst collective Murray Blackburn Mackenzie, which first raised data quality concerns in January 2019, said the guidance represented “a de facto conflation” of sex and gender identity.

Mackenzie said: “Following a successful challenge brought earlier this year by campaign group Fair Play for Women in the English high court on similar guidance proposed for use in the census in England and Wales, the Office for National Statistics was forced to concede that ‘sex’ in the Census Act 1920 means simply ‘sex as recorded on a birth certificate or gender recognition certificate’.

“Alignment between UK censuses has already been compromised by the delay to the census in Scotland. It is difficult to see how the Scottish government can claim that their reframing of the sex question in the 2022 Scottish census is compatible with the Census Act 1920.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
×