New data from YouGov has revealed public opinion seems supportive of serious sex offenders being required to be chemically castrated.

Chemical castration for sex offenders is to be trialled in 20 prisons across the country, the UK government has announced.

Shabana Mahmood, the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is exploring a national rollout of voluntary chemical castration for sex offenders, and whether it can be made mandatory.

Ms Mahmood told the House of Commons on 22 May that she will “make sure [the government is] using every tool at [their] disposal that can cut reoffending”.

The move would mean that the most serious sexual offenders would be required to be chemically castrated after their prison sentence is served to reduce the risk of reoffending, if the scheme is made compulsory.

On 22 May, Ms Mahmood announced that she would expand a small pilot in south-west England to two regions, but no official timeline for this has been set.

Chemical castration is the use of drugs to lower hormone production, reduce sex drive, and is not a form of sterilisation, according to Healthline.

In a survey conducted in May 2025 by YouGov, of over 4,500 UK adults, 67% responded that they supported serious sex offenders being required to be chemically castrated.

Only 16% opposed the theoretical measure, with another 16% responding that they were unsure.

YouGov, Conducted 22 May 2025, 4582 British adults surveyed. Made with Canva by Izzy Thompson

Support for the measure is higher among women, with 70% of female respondents showing some degree of support.

This compares to 65% of males.

Those aligned with Reform UK and the Conservative Party were the most supportive political groups, with 59% of Reform and 44% of Conservative respondents showing strong support.

However, across the group, there is not a significantly large divide between political parties, with 37% of Labour and 33% of Liberal Democrat respondents showing strong support.

YouGov, Conducted 22 May 2025, 4582 British adults surveyed. Made with Canva by Izzy Thompson

63% of respondents aged 18-24 showed some degree of support, compared to approximately 73% of respondents aged 50 or above.

YouGov, Conducted 22 May 2025, 4582 British adults surveyed. Made with Canva by Izzy Thompson

The government has not yet announced which prisons will be part of this scheme.