I know that you understand what I am about to say, but, for the benefit of those watching this or reading the Official Report, it is important to state that the guidance does not form part of the order that has been formally laid; it is separate.
Of course, a lot of attention has been paid to the guidance. However, the census uses, and has always used, a self-completion approach. That means that people will complete it in the way that they themselves think that they should and in accordance with how they want to present themselves.
We know that the vast majority of people will not even look at the guidance. The NRS gathered important data on that from the rehearsal—during which I think that there were only 50 or so references to the guidance—and also from the subsequent research that took place. We know that 99.5 per cent of people will simply pass the guidance by and fill in the form on a self-completion basis, based on their biological or legal sex. We also know, from the early cognitive testing, that people have a different understanding of sex when it is discussed with them as opposed to when it is not discussed with them, and that most people will just think about it in terms of what is on their birth certificate or what their biology is. Most people will just answer the question quickly as they go through the form.
When it comes to the 0.5 per cent of people who refer to the guidance, a need was identified with regard to those who are not clear about how they would want to answer that question. That could be for a number of reasons. For instance, they could be non-binary—we know that those who identify as non-binary have concerns about how they might answer a question about whether they are male or female. There are also issues about people who are transgender and people who are just not sure. The point is, however, that the guidance is for 0.5 per cent of people.
I think that society is changing. The academics have concerns about how they can interpret data in terms of predicting where a country will be in the future and whether any trends can be identified. Obviously, those are future considerations, and what we need to do is capture information about the present.
I understand that there was a meeting between the NRS and three of the Scottish professors, including Susan McVie, at which clear concerns were expressed about the guidance. I am not sure that the academics have indicated what their suggested replacement would be. However, on the issue of whether there should be guidance, my understanding is that the academics would prefer to know the basis of the guidance than to have no guidance at all.
With regard to the letter that was sent to the Prime Minister and others—because it is not just the NRS that is producing a census; Northern Ireland is producing one, and the Office for National Statistics is producing one for the rest of the UK—I understand that the professor you mentioned and the various organisations involved had a meeting last week, although I have not seen the minutes of it.
I understand that people are looking at the question and wondering whether it will use a broadbrush definition. However, the census does not define what sex is, and it never has done. That question has always been answered on a self-completion basis. The census has never said that sex is biological, legal or whatever—it has only asked someone to say whether they are male or female. That is the process that we intend to continue.
There was an issue about whether, with this census, there should be an option for people to say that they are non-binary. Obviously, that question was debated fully with the committee, and there were debates on it in Parliament. Following that, I wrote to the committee to confirm that we would maintain the position of having a male/female question, as recommended by the committee.
That is the position that we are in now. Obviously, the engagement with the academics has to be serious. As I said, the guidance is separate from the order. Particularly at this point, because of the timings for the build of the online questionnaire, I want to concentrate on ensuring that the order is accurate and correct and reflects what people have said, and there are changes within that.
I understand that wider debates about sex and gender are taking place in other places for other reasons, but that is not the role of the census. The census is designed to capture information, and to be quite specific about doing so. The vast majority of people are interested in answering the question, which they do and do well. However, we understand that 0.5 per cent of people will need to look at guidance, and that is why the guidance is there.
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