Dear Kate and Diane,

Presentation and reporting of census sexual orientation statistics

Thank you for writing to us about the use of the term ‘LGB+’ in the presentation of census sexual orientation statistics. Although your concerns focused on the Office for National Statistics (ONS)’s introduction and use of the term, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) considered the approaches taken by relevant census statistical producers across the UK. We investigated how the statistics are defined and communicated, and today I have written to each of the producers setting out our findings and the actions we expect them to take.

Our work has considered published Census 2021 and 2022 outputs. We examined the examples of misreporting of the ONS statistics you provided and engaged directly with the ONS, National Records of Scotland, the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, and the Welsh Government.

In this case, we agree there are examples where census sexual orientation statistics for England and Wales have been misreported, potentially giving users the incorrect understanding that the figures include people on the basis of gender identity. We consider that the use of the term ‘LGB+’ when used to report statistics, particularly the ‘+’ symbol, may carry a risk of misinterpretation. The meaning of ‘+’ may be understood differently given the wider societal use of abbreviations such as ‘LGBT+’ and ‘LGBTQ+’. We also identified a potential gap in existing harmonisation guidance to promote consistency, recognise legitimate differences, and help users understand and report the statistics accurately.

The question on sexual orientation was new for Census 2021 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and Census 2022 in Scotland. Question development was informed by the Government Statistical Service harmonised standard and involved extensive consultation and question testing. However, this work primarily considered the wording of the question and response options rather than the terminology used in the subsequent reporting of the statistics. In our view, the census offices had reasonable grounds to introduce use of the term ‘LGB+’ to report the sexual orientation data. The term is used to report aggregated data and represents how questions were asked in the survey and specific to the options of ‘gay or lesbian’, ‘bisexual’, or ‘other sexual orientation’. Definitions are included as part of statistical releases.

However, the issues raised in your letter have identified an opportunity for the statistical producers to improve how these statistics are communicated. Clearer and more prominent information on their meaning, coverage, and appropriate use should reduce the risk of misreporting.

Our role is not to prescribe a preferred statistical term or definition. Through the standards of Trustworthiness, Quality and Value set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics, we support producers to produce statistics that meet users’ needs and expect them to provide information that helps users interpret statistics appropriately. 

Thank you again for bringing this matter to our attention.

Yours sincerely,

Ed Humpherson
Director General for OSR