A recent poll finds a predominant view among British scientists that sex is binary, framing a debate that has ignited tensions across activism, science and politics.

In what has become a controversial issue, the difference between sex and gender continues to spark intense discussions and disagreements among various groups. The implications of these terms stretch out to shape policy debates and public opinion, pointing to a society grappling with evolving social norms.

A comprehensive survey spearheaded by The Telegraph and Censuswide sheds light on the opinions held by nearly 200 scientists from U.K. universities. The results indicate that 58% of those surveyed believe in the binary classification of sex, with exceptions noted for intersex individuals.

Conversely, less than one-third (29%) endorse the perspective that sex is nonbinary, whereas 13% either reserved their opinion or abstained from responding.

“To me this just means that at least 29 percent of the academics that filled out this questionnaire do not understand the biological concept of sex, and at least 22 percent of them do not know what gender means,” Dr. Wolfgang Goymann, professor for behavioral biology at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, told The Telegraph.

Dr. Goymann has recently contributed to BioEssays journal, discussing a growing contention among some scientists that sex occupies a spectrum as opposed to a binary attribute, a statement met with both concurrence and dissent in the scientific world.

“Leading science journals have been adopting this relativist view, thereby opposing fundamental biological facts,” Dr. Goymann stated. He elaborated that while supporting inclusivity for individuals of diverse gender identities is paramount, this shouldn’t necessitate the denial of biological sex.

Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at Sex Matters, a human rights organization, told The Telegraph: “This survey has two remarkable findings. The first is that 29 per cent of academics are apparently unaware of the obvious fact that sex is binary.”

“The second is that nearly two-thirds of academics say that ‘gender is fluid.’ That is a strikingly confident statement about a nebulous concept. Most ordinary people think ‘gender’ is just a polite alternative to ‘sex,’ so are these academics talking about personal style – masculinity or femininity; or assertions about; ‘identity’ – that is, states of mind?” she said.

“This muddle feeds through into academic research and public policy. It’s concerning that people supposedly among our best and brightest are seemingly blind to this confusion,” Ms. Joyce said.