FOI reference: FOI-2025-2777
You asked
I am writing to submit a Freedom of Information (FOI) request for specific data regarding the population of gay men in North Yorkshire from the 2021 Census. Specifically, I would like to request the following:
The percentage and number of gay men in North Yorkshire and its constituent local authorities (e.g., Harrogate, Scarborough, etc.)
Any further breakdown of data by age group, and location for gay men in North Yorkshire, if available.
A comparison of this data to previous census years, if available, for gay men in North Yorkshire.
I understand that sexual orientation data was collected voluntarily in the 2021 Census, and I would appreciate any available insights specifically on the population of gay men in this region.
We said
Thank you for your freedom of information request.
The associated download provides figures on the number of gay men in the seven North Yorkshire local authorities as at 2022 (and city of York unitary authority) from Census 2021.
City of York unitary authority was created in April 1996 and on 1 April 2023, the non-metropolitan county became a unitary authority. This abolished the remaining seven district councils.
Sexual orientation was first collected, as a voluntary question, in Census 2021; there are no earlier data to compare it with.
Census datasets are readily available on our website and from Nomis. Nomis is a service run on behalf of the ONS by the university of Durham. You can contact the Census customer services team (Census.customerservices@ons.gov.uk) for advice.
You may find our Sexual orientation, England and Wales: Census 2021 bulletin useful.