How to take part

Following the transition to “Living with COVID-19" and after careful consideration, the COVID-19 and Respiratory Infections Survey formally ended on 28 June 2023.

Participants received an email or letter from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) inviting them to take part.

We asked participants to complete an online questionnaire, which took around 10 to 15 minutes. It may have taken longer to complete over the phone.

Participants had 14 days to do this, called a "questionnaire window". If they took part in their first questionnaire window, they were asked to take part in a questionnaire window once a month until the study ended.

For those aged under 16 years, a parent or guardian could complete the questionnaire on their behalf.

The first participants invited to take part, were offered the chance to give some short feedback about their experience. This helped us identify improvements to make.

This was their chance to help us to understand and manage coronavirus (COVID-19) and other respiratory infections while the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reviewed their approach to COVID-19 Surveillance.

While we were unable to offer any financial compensation for completing the questionnaire each month, their participation was highly appreciated and valued. Their participation helped UK governments understand the impact of self-reported COVID-19 infections, long COVID and other respiratory infections on:

• peoples lives

• the community

• health services

Their answers, combined with the valued data they gave as part of the COVID-19 Infection Survey (CIS), could have also been part of an early warning system for COVID-19 and other respiratory infections. This could have helped the NHS prepare for potential pressures.

Participation was entirely voluntary, and participants were free to leave the study at any time without providing a reason. It is possible that not everyone in a household who took part in the COVID-19 Infection Survey (CIS) was invited to take part in this study.

Anyone in a household who was invited to take part in the study could make their individual choice as to whether they wanted to take part. Their participation was important regardless of whether other household members took part or not.

Participants were selected because they took part in the COVID-19 Infection Survey (CIS) and agreed to be approached about other ethically approved research studies.

Only those who took part in the COVID-19 Infection Survey and were invited to the COVID-19 and Respiratory Infections Survey (CRIS) could take part.

It is possible that not everyone in a household who took part in the CIS was invited to take part in this study. This is because we wanted to make sure we collected data that represented different groups of people and provided the best use of public funds. To do this, we selected specific participants from those who agreed to be contacted about future ethically approved research studies as part of the CIS.

For those who were invited and were aged under 16 years, a parent or guardian could complete the questionnaire on their behalf.

Participants had a 14-day "questionnaire window" each month. They could complete their questionnaire on any day within the questionnaire window. We let them know when the questionnaire window was by email or post.

Participants were asked questions on topics such as:

• their health in general, including any recent symptoms or vaccinations against coronavirus (COVID-19) and flu they had

• how much their health had impacted their usual activities or use of health services

• work, or education if they were in education

The questionnaire link was in the email or letter they got sent each time they had a questionnaire window, or they could access it on the ONS website.

Participants needed their 16-character access code to enter the questionnaire. Their code was unique to each questionnaire window. They were sent a new access code before each questionnaire they completed. They could find this access code on the email or letter they got telling them about their questionnaire window dates.

If they could not find their access code, they could email us to request a new one. They needed their participant identification (ID) when emailing for support. Their participant ID was their unique ID number that we used to identify them, and it will never change. This ID could be found at the top of their email or letter telling them about their questionnaire window dates.

Once they had entered their access code to begin the questionnaire, they were asked to confirm whether the name displayed on the screen was correct.  

Participants could complete the questionnaire on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. If they needed to, they could stop and come back to the questionnaire later, within their questionnaire window. However, if they needed to request a new access code to complete their questionnaire and had already entered responses using their original access code, those responses would not appear. Particpants would need to begin the questionnaire again.

This study was mainly online. However, if participants were unable to complete the questionnaire online, they could email us to make an appointment for us to call them. The questionnaire may have taken longer than 10 to 15 minutes to complete over the phone.

Once they had filled out their questionnaire, participants were asked to follow the onscreen instructions, and be sure to select the green "submit" button when prompted. This ensured that their answers were recorded properly.

If submitted successfully, participants would see a confirmation page.

If a participant chose not to complete the questionnaire during their first questionnaire window, we assumed they did not want to take part in the COVID-19 and Respiratory Infections Survey (CRIS). We did not contact them again with any future communications about the COVID-19 and Respiratory Infections Survey.

If a participant could not complete their questionnaire in a subsequent window, they did not need to do anything. We contacted them again when their next questionnaire window started.

Participants were not asked to provide any swab or blood samples, and so did not get a voucher for taking part in this study.

If a particpiant moved house, they were asked to email us to let us know. The study was based on a representative sample of addresses and so, if they moved home, their participation in the study finished.

Participation was entirely voluntary. Participants were free to leave the study at any time without providing a reason by emailing us.

If they chose not to complete their first questionnaire window, we assumed they did not want to take part in the study. We did not contact them again with any future communications about the COVID-19 and Respiratory Infections Survey.

Parents or carers could also decide if their child was to leave the study at any time without giving a reason.