18/01/2023 - Permalink

Census 2021 data: Sexual orientation and gender identity responses 

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Office for National Statistics (ONS) published the next phase of the Census 2021 topic summaries for England and Wales this month, including information focused on sexual orientation on gender identity.

The 2021 Census took place across England and Wales in March 2021.  This is the first Census that has asked people about their sexual orientation and gender identity. The questions were voluntary for those aged 16 and over. 

In Shropshire, a total of 252,900 (93% of the population aged 16 years and over) answered the question: “Which of the following best describes your sexual orientation?” which included a choice of categories with an option to self-describe.

This response was similar to England (92.5% of the population aged 16 years and over). Around 6,300 people (2.3%) identified as “Gay or Lesbian”, “Bisexual” or “Other sexual orientation”, slightly lower than 3.1% for England. Around 246,500 (90.6%) identified as straight or heterosexual, similar to 89.4% in England. 

On gender identity, the question asked was: “Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?” 

Overall, 256,600 people (94.3% of the population aged 16 years and over) answered the question, similar to the England figure of 94.0%.

Around 770 (0.3%) answered “No” compared to 0.5% for England. In total, 255,800 (94.0%) answered “Yes” compared to the national figure of 93.5%. The remaining 15,600 (5.7%) did not answer the question.

0.1% identified as a trans woman and 0.1% identified as a trans man; this matches the national figures of 0.1% and 0.1% respectively. Less than 0.1% identified as non-binary, compared with 0.1% for England. 

Cecilia Motley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for adult social care, public health and communities, said:- 

“The release of this data for the first time for Shropshire is very much welcome.  The local and national information that we now have will strengthen our evidence base about the diverse communities that live in Shropshire.

“In so doing, it will help us to identify and address any inequalities and discrimination, and improve decisions made about health care, leisure services, education, employment, housing and social services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people living in Shropshire.”

James Walton, Shropshire Council’s executive director for resources, added:-

“It is crucial to us as a council to be able to make decisions that are grounded in as sound and up-to-date an evidence base as possible about our communities, in order to ensure that our policies and services meet the differing and changing needs of a diverse population and tackle any inequalities.

“We are really heartened that so many people took their time to answer these voluntary questions and would like to thank them for doing so.”

Further information

People were asked “Which of the following best describes your sexual orientation?”

The different sexual orientations that people could choose from included:

  • straight or heterosexual
  • gay or lesbian
  • bisexual
  • other sexual orientation

If they selected “other sexual orientation”, they were asked to write in the sexual orientation with which they identified.

The census question on gender identity was a voluntary question asked of those aged 16 years and over. The question asked, “Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?”.

  • Overall, 256,600 people (94.3% of the population aged 16 years and over) answered the question similar to England (94.0%).
  • In total 255,80, (94.0%) answered “Yes” compared to 93.5% in England. Around 770 (0.3%) answered “No” compared to 0.5% for England.
  • The remaining 15,600 (5.7%) did not answer the question.
  • 0.1% identified as a trans woman (0.1%) for England.
  • 0.1% identified as a trans man (0.1%) for England.
  • Less than 0.1% identified as non-binary (0.1%) for England.

 For further information, including an interactive map, and to find out more about the Census 2021 results, please visit the ONS website.

Further information and analysis for Shropshire will be added to the Shropshire Council 2021 Census webpages, as more results across groupings become available. It is important that the results and analysis are widely accessible to all. The council is aiming to publish the early headlines and infographics, followed by the development of area profiles, interactive tools and topic-based analysis.

Please note all figures have been rounded.