How should UK population surveys represent differences in terms of sex and gender?

English, Kirstie Ken (2025) How should UK population surveys represent differences in terms of sex and gender? PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This research investigated how UK population surveys should represent differences in terms of sex and gender, with some exploration of how sexuality is represented in relation to these concepts. It shows how essentialist ontologies manifest in the production of knowledge, leading to some populations being misrepresented or rendered invisible. Informed by a critical queer feminist lens, this work centres populations overlooked by large-scale surveys, such as those utilised in the UK censuses. Through this research, participants from these populations played an active role in knowledge production, co-producing new survey questions to meet the needs of overlooked populations.

To address the multifaceted issue of survey representation, a three-strand, exploratory, sequential, mixed-methods approach was employed. In Strand 1, the design of 27 UK population surveys were systematically analysed. This produced an understanding of current UK survey practices and identified four overlooked populations: people with variations of sex characteristics (VSC), trans people, non-binary people, and anyone whose relationship to sexuality could not be categorised as only bisexual, gay, heterosexual/straight, or lesbian. In Strand 2, focus groups were employed, engaging with these populations to understand what they thought should be represented by surveys, why, and how. The overlooked populations actively engaged in knowledge production by co-producing survey questions they felt better represented their populations. In Strand 3, these questions were tested using an online survey of 347 LGBTI+ people aged 16 and over across the UK. Alongside testing the co-produced questions, the survey indicated whether the overlooked population’s perspectives on survey representation were shared by a broader sample. Finally, the three strands were integrated to create a comparison between current survey practices and the co-produced perspectives on how surveys should be designed. This comparison enabled direct recommendations on how to improve UK population surveys.

This research enables an understanding of how misrepresentation and invisibility occur in large-scale surveys, and how to challenge this. Centring overlooked populations meant working with them to identify not only what information they were willing to provide and in what contexts, but also what information was in their best interests to share. Through this, I produced question design standards and emphasised key principles for data production to guide survey designers towards approaches that prioritise the participants’ autonomy over their own identities. The overlooked populations engaged with in this research emphasised the importance of having the choice to be represented based on how they see themselves, for both maximising the participant response rate and producing data that can be used to meet their needs.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Supported by funding provided by The University of Glasgow’s College of Social Sciences Scholarship.
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Sociology Anthropology and Applied Social Sciences
• Supervisor's Name: Waites, Dr. Matthew, Edson Ferrie, Professor Jo Edson and Dean, Dr. Nema
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-85076
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 23 Apr 2025 08:46
• Last Modified: 23 Apr 2025 08:51
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85076
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85076