Survey of boat dwellers: participant information sheet

You are being invited to take part in a survey. Before you decide whether to take part, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully. Contact us if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information.

This study aims to make data collection more inclusive for boat dwellers. Currently, there are less data available about boat dwellers than about the general population, which can lead to poor service planning, especially by those who may not understand the needs of boat dwellers.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is exploring ways to gather better data that reflect the experiences and needs of boat dwellers, with the view of making service planning better reflect the needs of the populations in the future. This survey is testing whether a method where people invite their friends to participate is more effective for boat dwellers than traditional surveys, where selected households get an invitation letter.

You have been invited because we have asked a friend of yours, who has already done the survey, to “recruit” someone else who lives on a boat – and they have chosen you. We are aiming to survey around 500 boat dwellers in total.

No, participation is entirely voluntary. If you decide to take part, you are still free to withdraw from the survey at any time.

The survey will take approximately five minutes to complete. As a “thank you” for your participation, upon completion of the survey you will be texted a £10 electronic shopping voucher for a major UK supermarket of your choice from a list of eight. You may also receive a text with invitation codes for friends who are also boat dwellers (for at least three months in a year). If a friend invited by you completes the survey, you will receive an additional voucher for £5 and they will receive a £10 voucher for participation.

To participate, you need to be a liveaboard boater for at least three months in a year.

The online platform that is used for conducting this survey is called LimeSurvey and the link to the survey that you are going to receive will have the following prefix:

https://ons-uk.limesurvey.net

Texting the project mobile number will be charged at your network provider’s standard rates.

All responses that you provide will be kept strictly confidential. All data will be stored on secure password-protected computers. We will not ask you about your name or address. Your telephone number will not be stored alongside your responses, and it will be deleted as soon as the survey is closed, unless you agree to be recontacted.

All study data will be held in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (2018). The data (excluding your phone number) will be stored in archiving facilities in line with the University of Glasgow’s retention policy for up to10 years. The ONS will retain the data in adherence to its Statistical Data Retention and Disposal Policy.

If you agree to be contacted again in future, your phone number will be stored by the ONS for one year.

A detailed document about when, why and where your information is being used by the ONS and the University of Glasgow is available.

The results will be analysed and a report published as an academic paper. A report will also be written for internal use by the ONS. No individual will be identifiable from the reports.

The survey is funded by the ONS. It has commissioned the University of Glasgow to conduct it on their behalf.

The project has been approved by the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences Ethics Committee at the University of Glasgow and by the ONS Data Ethics Committee.

Your personal data

The ONS and the University of Glasgow will be what is known as the “Data Controller” of your personal data processed in relation to the survey of boat dwellers. This privacy notice will explain how the ONS and the University of Glasgow will process your personal data.

Why we need it

We are collecting your mobile phone number in order to administer the survey. We will only collect data that we need in order to provide and oversee this service to you.

Other data that we collect in this survey, for example, your age, will not be linked to your phone number in any way, and as such, it will not be possible for anyone to know what responses were provided from this particular phone number. Your age, and so on, is not “personal data” for legal purposes. Only your phone number is “personal data”.

Legal basis for processing your data

We must have a legal basis for processing your phone number. In this instance, the legal basis is your consent to participate, as evidenced by you texting the invitation code to our dedicated project phone number.

What we do with it and who we share it with

Your phone number is processed by core project staff at the University of Glasgow and the ONS in the UK.

How long do we keep it for?

If you agree to be recontacted, your phone number will be retained by the University and the ONS for one year. After this time, it will be securely deleted. If you do not agree to be recontacted, your phone number will be deleted immediately after the survey is closed.

What are your rights?

You can request access to the information we process about you (that is, your phone number) at any time. If at any point you believe that the information we process relating to you is incorrect, you can request to see this information and may, in some instances, request to have it restricted, corrected, or erased. You may also have the right to object to the processing of data and the right to data portability.

You also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please submit your request via the webform or contact dp@gla.ac.uk.

Complaints

If you wish to raise a complaint on how we have handled your personal data, you can contact the University Data Protection Officer who will investigate the matter.

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at:

dataprotectionofficer@glasgow.ac.uk.

If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are not processing your personal data in accordance with the law, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Dr Filip Sosenko

School of Health and Wellbeing

University of Glasgow

mobilesurvey@ons.gov.uk