Government Statistical Service Harmonisation: Consultation on user needs for additional response options in a future ethnicity standard

Feedback updated 9 Oct 2026

We asked

The Government Statistical Service (GSS) conducted a public consultation which asked your views on whether additional tick-box response options are required in a future ethnicity harmonised standard. This consultation was open between 28 October 2025 and 4 February 2026. It is part of the GSS Harmonisation team’s ongoing review of this standard. It took place alongside the Office for National Statistics (ONS) consultation on topics for Census 2031, which asked about user needs for ethnic group data alongside many other topics. 

Respondents to this consultation were invited to provide evidence of user need for additional tick-box response options in a future ethnicity standard.  

You said

What you asked for 

We received requests for over 180 additional ethnic groups, through formal consultation responses and other forms of engagement.  
 
The final question design cannot capture every additional ethnic group requested.  

This is because any changes must balance user needs against a range of considerations, including: 

  • increased complexity 

  • the effects on data comparability over time 

  • challenges in data aggregation and output 

  • practical implementation constraints (such as limited space on paper questionnaires) 

  • respondent burden 

 

To help prioritise which additional response options should be taken forward, each requested ethnic group is assessed against our published evaluation criteria. This ensures that any proposed additions are supported by robust evidence of user need and are likely to produce accurate, relevant and respondent-friendly data. 

Who responded 

We received 1,433 consultation responses. These were primarily from individuals (1,320), with the remaining 113 on behalf of organisations.  
 
We asked organisations to select the sector that applied to them. They were able to select more than one sector in response to this question. 

Table 1: Number of organisations who selected each sector 

Charity or community sector 

54 

Local or regional government 

30 

Other 

12 

Academia or research 

11 

UK government department 

4 

Devolved government 

3 

NHS board or health organisation 

3 

Commercial or private sector 

2 

Non-departmental public body or government agency 

2 

Journalism or media 

1 

The responses in full 

We have published a spreadsheet of all the responses we received on the Government Analysis Function website. Responses received from organisations have been published alongside the name of the organisation. Responses from individuals have been published anonymously.  

We received several emails providing evidence for the consultation that were not considered formal responses but were considered in the evaluation process. We have not published these emails, but we do provide a list of all the organisations and MPs who provided extra evidence in this way within the spreadsheet.  

We did

We have completed Steps 1 and 2 of the published evaluation criteria.  

Step 1 assessed the evidence of user need for the requested ethnic group data in terms of strength of need for equality monitoring, policy development, resource allocation and service delivery.  

Step 2 assessed the quality of any potential proxy data by assessing the consistency of write-in answers and use of other data collection questions (such as country of birth, religion and national identity). 

The Ethnicity Harmonisation Consultation Scoring Review panel quality assured the scores given during our evaluation and analysis of the evidence provided. This panel was made up of experts in ethnicity statistics from across government departments, including Welsh Government, National Records of Scotland and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.  

With Steps 1 and 2 concluded the following requested ethnic groups were the only groups to score sufficiently against the evaluation criteria to progress to Step 3:  

  • Jewish 

  • Kurdish 

  • Latin American 

  • Sikh 

  • Somali 

  • Ukrainian 

  • Separate response options for “Gypsy” and “Irish Traveller” or “Traveller” 

Groups are listed alphabetically. 
 

Next steps 

Being taken forward to Step 3 is an important part of the evaluation process but does not mean that the ethnic group will be included in the ethnicity harmonised standard. 

Step 3 includes additional research and engagement on public acceptability and is due to take place in autumn 2026. Once Step 3 is complete, each ethnic group will be given a Red, Amber or Green status based on the findings from the public acceptability work. Only groups given a Green status will be considered further. However, a Green status does not guarantee inclusion on the standard, as further evaluation will still be needed. 

The final stages of evaluation will consider how the additional ethnic group response options could be implemented in practice. This will include factors such as question design, questionnaire space, respondent burden, data quality, comparability and the usability of outputs. These considerations will be assessed alongside potential new response options identified through the GSS Harmonisation team’s review of write-in responses. 

As a result, there is no guarantee that all the groups progressing from the consultation will appear in the final list of response options added to the ethnicity harmonised standard. There is also the possibility that some groups identified through the review of write-in responses will be added if they meet the criteria for inclusion. 

There are no plans to remove any existing response options for any of the UK nations, and write-in options will continue to be available. 

Publication of the ethnicity harmonised standard 

The GSS Harmonisation team plan to publish the ethnicity harmonised standard, including any new response options, in spring 2027. This will be accompanied by a report outlining the evaluation process and the analysis and research undertaken to determine the new response options.  

The volume of consultation responses significantly exceeded those received for the Ethnic Group Stakeholder Follow-up Survey conducted in the run up to Census 2021. The evaluation of potential response options has therefore taken longer than anticipated. 

Contact information  

We would like to thank respondents for their valuable feedback, which will continue to guide our work in this area.  

If you would like more information about the ethnicity harmonised standard, please contact the GSS Harmonisation team: Harmonisation@statistics.gov.uk. 

Related links 

Ethnicity harmonised standard 

Ethnicity harmonised standard consultation – homepage on the Analysis Function website 

Evaluation criteria for the additional response options in the new ethnicity harmonised standard 

April 2026 update for the Ethnicity harmonised standard consultation 

Review of the ethnicity harmonised standard: overview of our redesign research to date 

GSS Harmonisation team workplan 

Closed 4 Feb 2026

Opened 28 Oct 2025

Contact

harmonisation@statistics.gov.uk

Overview

This consultation is also available in Welsh.

27 April 2026

We have published an update on this consultation on the Government Analysis Function website:

April 2026 update: consultation on user needs for additional response options in a future ethnicity harmonised standard

4 March 2026 

We have published the evaluation criteria for this consultation on the Government Analysis Function website:  

5 February 2026  

This consultation has now closed.  

Thank you to everyone who took part in this consultation. We will begin analysing the responses and will publish a consultation update at a later date. 

5 December 2025

Please note: An omission was identified in our “Harmonisation Ethnicity consultation document” and on this information page, which implied that the ethnicity question response options for Welsh respondents were the same as those for English respondents in the Census 2021 questionnaire, noting only the difference in ordering of response options under the high-level category “White”. 

The document should have also stated that:

The high-level response option of “Asian or Asian British” for English respondents, was different to that for Welsh respondents, which read “Asian, Asian Welsh or Asian British”. 

The high-level response option of “Black, Black British, Caribbean or African” for English respondents, was different to that for Welsh respondents, which read “Black, Black Welsh, Black British, Caribbean or African”. 

This information page, and the “Harmonisation Ethnicity consultation document” in both English and Welsh, have now been updated to reflect the differences in response options for the ethnicity question in Wales and England in Census 2021. The documents now include the response option text used in England, and the response option text used in Wales, in two separate lists.  The change does not impact the questions that are being asked within this consultation. 

 

This consultation asks your views on whether additional tick-box response options are required for a new ethnicity harmonised standard. It is part of the Government Statistical Service (GSS) Harmonisation team’s ongoing review of this standard. It is taking place alongside the Office for National Statistics (ONS) consultation on topics for Census 2031, which asks about user needs for ethnic group data alongside many other topics.

The new ethnicity harmonised standard will be recommended for use by data collectors across the GSS, including teams working on the next censuses in the UK. We expect the UK statistics organisations to consider this standard when developing questions. We expect the relevant census question to align to this standard in England and Wales. We will continue to work closely with teams across the UK to understand their requirements for the standard. Depending on the user needs of each UK nation, this may be delivered through a single version or a suite of harmonised questions.

The GSS harmonised standards are tools for improving the comparability and coherence of statistics. Harmonised standards include definitions, survey questions, suggested presentations of outputs and information for data users. When data collectors use the harmonised standards, they can effectively and accurately compare data that has been collected across different datasets. This means they can more easily understand what that data does, and does not, tell them. This ensures that statistics are being used to their full effect for the public good.

The current ethnicity harmonised standard is based on the 2011 Census questions across the UK. The questions were reviewed and adjusted so they could be used in the 2021 Census for England and Wales, the 2021 Census for Northern Ireland, and the 2022 Census for Scotland. This means that the 2021 and 2022 census questions are currently the most up-to-date way of collecting data about ethnic groups. However, the question development for these approaches began in 2015 and user needs may have changed since then. 

Whilst the review is underway, the Harmonisation team advise that for new data collection that requires an ethnicity question, to use the questions from the:  

  1. 2021 Census for England and Wales (questions differ in England and Wales)
  1. Current ethnicity harmonised standard for Northern Ireland  
  1. 2022 Census for Scotland  

The question used in the 2021 Census for Northern Ireland has also been explored to fully understand user needs in Northern Ireland.

The Ethnicity harmonised standard is recommended to data collectors alongside questions about national identity and religion. When all three questions are used together, respondents are better enabled to give details about their full cultural identity. In Northern Ireland, the recommendation is to include five questions: Country of Birth, National Identity, Ethnic Group, Religion and Language, using the NI Census 2021 questions for Country of Birth and Language. 

 

England and Wales Census 2021 response options

For respondents in England:

White

  • English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British
  • Irish
  • Gypsy or Irish Traveller
  • Roma
  • Any other White background (please specify)

Mixed or Multiple ethnic group

  • White and Black Caribbean
  • White and Black African
  • White and Asian
  • Any other Mixed or Multiple background (please specify)

Asian or Asian British

  • Indian
  • Pakistani
  • Bangladeshi
  • Chinese
  • Any other Asian background (please specify)

Black, Black British, Caribbean or African

  • Caribbean
  • African (please specify)
  • Any other Black British or Caribbean background (please specify)

Other ethnic group

  • Arab
  • Any other ethnic group (please specify)

 

For respondents in Wales:  

White 

  • Welsh, English, Scottish, Northern Irish or British 
  • Irish 
  • Gypsy or Irish Traveller 
  • Roma 
  • Any other White background (please specify) 

Mixed or Multiple ethnic group 

  • White and Black Caribbean 
  • White and Black African 
  • White and Asian 
  • Any other Mixed or Multiple background (please specify) 

Asian, Asian Welsh or Asian British 

  • Indian 
  • Pakistani 
  • Bangladeshi 
  • Chinese 
  • Any other Asian background (please specify) 

Black, Black Welsh, Black British, Caribbean or African 

  • Caribbean 
  • African background (please specify) 
  • Any other Black, Black British or Caribbean background (please specify) 

Other ethnic group 

  • Arab 
  • Any other ethnic group (please specify) 

 

Northern Ireland Census 2021 response options

  • White
  • Irish Traveller
  • Indian
  • Black African
  • Chinese
  • Roma
  • Filipino
  • Black Other
  • Mixed ethnic group (please write in)
  • Any other ethnic group (please write in)

 

 Scotland Census 2022 response options

White

  • Scottish
  • Other British
  • Irish
  • Polish
  • Gypsy or Traveller
  • Roma
  • Showman or Showwoman
  • Other white ethnic group (please specify)

Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups (please specify)

Asian, Scottish Asian, or British Asian

  • Pakistani, Scottish Pakistani, or British Pakistani
  • Indian, Scottish Indian, or British Indian
  • Bangladeshi, Scottish Bangladeshi, or British Bangladeshi
  • Chinese, Scottish Chinese, or British Chinese
  • Other (please specify)

African, Scottish African, British African (please specify)

Caribbean or Black (please specify)

Other ethnic group

  • Arab, Scottish Arab, or British Arab
  • Other (please specify)

Why your views matter

The GSS has identified a need to update the standard for ethnicity data so that statistics can provide more detailed and inclusive data, reflecting the diversity of the UK population. A portion of this work includes considering the response options available, and importantly those not available, within the current ethnicity standard. This includes seeking and balancing input from communities and respondents alongside the needs of data users to inform response options available. We will use the responses from this consultation to prioritise the addition of tick boxes which meet the greatest user need, while balancing clarity, data quality and acceptable respondent burden.

We invite your views on the way that different ethnic groups are represented in the current standard, and what needs you have for additional ethnic group tick boxes.

Who should take part

These consultation questions are aimed at any organisation or individual who would like to request the addition of new response options for the ethnicity harmonised standard. It’s vital that the data we collect best meets the needs of our users. We would like to hear from you to understand your needs for data on additional ethnic groups, and what you will use these data for. 

How to respond

To contribute, please complete the online questionnaire at the bottom of this page by the closing date of 4 February 2026. We strongly encourage you to complete the consultation questionnaire online. You can download the questionnaire and consultation document to review or share offline. You are also able to use these downloads to respond by email or post if you wish to. Links to document downloads can be found on this webpage, under the heading “Related”.

When you start the questionnaire, please answer all the questions and provide as much detail as you can.

Physical copies of the consultation document and the questionnaire are available on request. Large print copies are also available.

Enquiries can be sent to harmonisation@statistics.gov.uk, or by post at:

ONS Consultations Team
Post Room
Office for National Statistics
Segensworth Road
Fareham
PO15 5RR

You can also call ONS customer services on 01329 444 972.

If you have any questions or queries about the ethnicity harmonised standard more generally, please contact the Government Statistical Service Harmonisation team at harmonisation@statistics.gov.uk.

Further detail on harmonisation

For users who would like more detail about the ethnicity harmonised standard, or information on any of our other standards, we would suggest taking a look at our current harmonisation webpages.

Confidentiality and data protection

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) needs your name and email address to receive your response. With your permission, we may contact you about your response to the consultation. We aim to be as open as possible in our decision-making process. All responses to the consultation will be published. The names of organisations that have responded will be included with their response, and where individuals provide the ONS with permission to publish their names for an individual response, these names will also be included. We will not publish personal contact details, such as email addresses.

To find out more, read our Privacy Policy. This consultation has been carried out in accordance with the government’s consultation principles. If you have any complaints about the way this consultation has been conducted, please email: harmonisation@statistics.gov.uk.

Audiences

  • Academics
  • Analysts
  • Businesses
  • Charities
  • Economists
  • Government
  • Health professionals
  • Local government
  • Operational managers
  • Police
  • Policy managers
  • Politicians
  • Researchers
  • Statisticians
  • Think tanks

Interests

  • Formal consultations