Gender Identity in the 2021 Census of England and Wales: Comparing the 2022 Census of Scotland

The 2021 Census of England and Wales attempted to identify the transgender population by asking ‘Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?’. I have argued that this question confused a substantial number of respondents who erroneously answered in the negative (Biggs, 2024). This confusion is manifested in the overrepresentation of adults lacking English proficiency who were classified as transgender. The 2022 Census of Scotland asked a much clearer question, ‘Do you consider yourself to be trans, or have a trans history?’ Comparison between the results provides further evidence that the Census of England and Wales inflated the transgender population.