We would like to invite you to take part in a research study being carried out by researchers at the University of Essex and City St. Georges, University of London. Before you decide to take part, it is important that you understand why the research is being done and what it would involve for you. Please read the following information carefully. There are links to sources of further information later in this document should you wish to find out more.

The study is designed to collect information on the experiences and opinions of people in Britain on a variety of important topics, including what you think of your local area, your health, and how well people think the government is doing its job.

We have chosen your address at random from the Postcode Address File. This is a list of every address in the UK, held by the Post Office and available to the public. We choose addresses at random to get a truly representative picture – so we need to speak to people from all regions, age groups and walks of life.

Participation in the study is voluntary, and you can choose not to participate. If you decide to take part you are still free to withdraw your data without giving a reason. This can be done at any point until the survey data is finalised. At this point, the information identifying you will be deleted and it will not be possible to remove your data.

You can take part online, using the web link and access code in your invitation letter. A paper questionnaire will also be sent later if you would prefer to respond in this way. 

The questionnaire will take around 20 to 30 minutes to complete. You can complete it at a time that suits you and use any internet-enabled device (e.g. laptop, tablet, smartphone).  You can either complete it in one go or come back to it later if that is more convenient for you. You will be asked your views on a range of topics and asked to provide some information on yourself and your household. You can skip any questions that you would rather not answer. If you complete the survey online, we will capture other data, such as how long it took you to answer each question and the type of device you used to complete the survey. The IP address of your device will be captured when you complete the survey but will be anonymised, that is, no information linking this device to you will be available in the collated data.

Once completed, your responses will be included in an anonymized data set with around 2,000 other people in Britain.

As a result of being selected for this survey, we are sending you £5 with your invitation letter. If you complete the survey, we will send you/ a further £10 to thank you for your time.

The project is funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council.

To take part, you simply need to complete the online questionnaire using the link and access code included in your invitation letter. We will also send a paper questionnaire at a later date if you would prefer to complete this.

The University of Essex is the sponsor and the data controller of this study. This means that we are responsible for looking after your information and using it properly. The legal basis under which your data will be processed is performance of a task in the public interest and for scientific research purposes (UK GDPR art. 6.1(e); 9.2 (J); 89,1.). 

Your right to access, change or move your information are limited, as we need to manage your information in a specific way in order for the research to be reliable and accurate. To safeguard your rights, we will use the minimum personal-identifiable information possible (for further information please see https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/lawful-basis-for-processing/public-task/).

 Essex has appointed Opinion42 as a data processor for this study. Opinion42 will be responsible for selection of addresses, hosting the survey landing page, and processing the survey data. Opinion42 will have access to your identifiable information until completion of data processing activities. Essex has appointed Centerdata, an independent non-profit research institute located on the Tilburg University campus in the Netherlands, to host the survey platform. Centerdata can access any personal data you provide when completing the survey, although this is not routinely done. They cannot access your address.

Opinion42 has appointed First Move Direct Marketing, QRS, and Love2Shop as sub-processors. First Move will dispatch invitation letters, reminders, and questionnaires, and will have access to your address. QRS will be responsible for data entry from paper questionnaires and will have access to your identifiable information until completion of data processing activities. Love2Shop will send out the £10 vouchers so will have access to your identifiable information - your name and email or postal address - until completion of data processing activities. They will not have access to your survey responses.

City St George’s, University of London has partnered with the University of Essex to carry out this study. Staff at City St George’s will not have access to your address, name, or contact details.

At https://www.essex.ac.uk/disclaimer/research you can find out more about how Essex handles research data. If you are concerned about how we have processed your personal data, you can contact the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) https://ico.org.uk/.

During the survey, and for a short period after it has finished, only accredited staff at the above-named organisations will be able to access your survey answers. When the survey is finished, Essex will send the responses, without any names or contact details, to the UK Data Archive, where the combined anonymous responses will be stored indefinitely. All names and addresses will be securely deleted no later than 15 October 2025. Paper questionnaires will also be destroyed at this time.

The survey data (without names or contact details) will also be stored electronically at both Essex and City St. Georges, in an encrypted location only accessible by named staff, for up to 10 years. There is a possibility, but it is unlikely, that some of the information in this data (such as citizenship, age, country of birth, occupation and region) may combine in a way that would identify you.

The results will be published in the UK Data Archive and available for researchers to analyse.

This study has been approved by the University of Essex Research Ethics Committee. The Research Ethics Committee project reference number is ETH2425-1012.

If you have any problems, concerns or questions about this study, you may contact:

· Research team: Peter Lynn, plynn@essex.ac.uk; Nathan Reece, nathan.reece@city.ac.uk 

· Opinion42: freephone 0808 296 8584, support@livinginbritain.co.uk 

· Data Protection Officer, University of Essex: dataprotectionofficer@essex.ac.uk  

If you wish to complain formally, contact Essex’s Information Assurance Manager. Tell them the name of the project is Living in Britain. You can phone 01206 872285, email: dpo@essex.ac.uk or write to: 

Information Assurance Manager, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ

Thank you for taking the time to read this information sheet. Please select the button below to go back to the home page and log in to the survey.