In this section
- How to take part
- About the study
- Why you should take part
- What you will be asked
- What we will do with your answers
- What will happen next
- Who carries out the study
- Why you have been asked to take part
- Who is conducting the study?
- Taking part in the study
- Questions about taking part
- Taking part is important
- Confidentiality and data protection
- What is the ONS’s responsibility to the public?
- Further help
- Sharing data with our service providers
1. How to take part
To begin the study, please select “Start now”, then enter your personal access code.
Thank you for your support. This study will close at midnight on Friday 20 October 2023.
The information you provide will be treated as confidential in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics.
You can complete this study on a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone. If you need to, you can stop and come back to the study later.
Back to table of contents2. About the study
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is carrying out this important online study on behalf of the UK government. The study is about trust in government and public institutions and will ask you about your opinion of government and public services. You will also be asked about your participation in politics and your opinion of government action on long-term challenges.
Back to table of contents3. Why you should take part
The information we collect helps inform government decisions. This influences national policies, as well as facilities and services local to you. This study has been run in 30 other countries who are part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The results will inform the OECD’s work on how governments can build trust and maintain political participation and strong communities.
This is your unique opportunity to tell us about your experiences. Your responses will provide information not available from any other sources. Do not miss your chance to have your say.
Back to table of contents4. What you will be asked
The study will cover a range of topics, including:
levels of trust in government and public services
your satisfaction with public services
your political attitudes and participation
your evaluation of government action on long-term challenges.
The questions we ask can be based on both facts and opinions.
There are no difficult questions, and we have made sure you do not need any specialist knowledge to take part. There are no right or wrong answers – your honest responses are vital for us to produce reliable statistics about our whole society.
We respect your right to a private life – the information you provide in this study will not be used to identify you in any way. If you are uncomfortable with any of the questions you are asked, you can always leave them out.
Do I have to answer all the questions?
Answering the questions is voluntary. If you do not want to answer some or any of the questions, you do not have to. Please answer as many questions as you can, to ensure that your experiences and circumstances are counted.
Back to table of contents5. What we will do with your answers
Your personal information will remain confidential.
The details you provide will be combined with those of everyone else taking part so we can produce statistics. Any data we publish will never identify you or your household.
ONS has been commissioned by the Cabinet Office to carry out this study. The Cabinet Office and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will receive the data collected from this study but will not receive any of your personal information. Anonymised data available to approved researchers on request, to use for research and statistical purposes only.
We do not sell on your data and you will not receive junk mail or marketing calls as a result of taking part in one of our studies.
If you want to know more, please see the section about our commitment to protecting your data.
Back to table of contents6. What will happen next
You should have received a letter and email inviting you to take part and introducing the study.
Your letter or email will include all the instructions and login details you will need. This study is available for you to complete at any time until the closing date stated in your letter or email.
We design our studies with you in mind and keep them as short as possible. We only collect the information we need to better understand our society. Your response is really important to us.
Once you have completed the study, we will combine the answers you give us with everybody else's. We then use these data to produce statistics.
Back to table of contents7. Who carries out the study
This study is being carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which is the country's largest producer of statistics. The ONS also plan and run the census in England and Wales.
We are:
independent, unbiased and impartial: we are separate from other organisations and do not allow anything to influence the statistics we publish
the only organisation that produces official statistics as a primary role: we have no additional interest in the information we collect
only interested in society as a whole, and not you as an individual: statistics represent groups of people; we remove your personal details as we are not interested in singling you out
We are not:
a commercial or market research organisation: we do not work for profit and will not try to sell you anything
associated with any political parties: we produce official statistics, no matter who the Prime Minister or political party in government is
going to sell on your data under any circumstances: we value your involvement in our studies and do not profit from your data; you will not receive any "junk mail" as a result of taking part
monitoring you, as the data you give are only used for producing statistics: we will not use your information to contact you about other matters such as your tax, income or benefits, and we will not provide your information to anyone else for them to do so either
Read more about what we do at the ONS.
Back to table of contents8. Why you have been asked to take part
You have been invited to take part as you either completed one of our previous studies, or your address was selected at random. It is not possible to ask everyone to take part in our ongoing studies; instead, we invite a sample of individuals or households, which makes sure we represent everyone.
Whoever you are, whatever you do, we want to hear from you.
Back to table of contents9. Who is conducting the study?
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is conducting this study and will receive all data collected and remain in control of all responses given by all study participants.
Who designed the study?
The questionnaire was designed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in collaboration with the Office for National Statistics and statistical offices in other participating countries.
Who are the OECD?
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation with 38 member countries, including the United Kingdom. The OECD run the Trust Survey to monitor people's trust across different institutions and levels of government across OECD countries.
More information about OECD can be found on the OECD website.
Back to table of contents10. Taking part in the study
If you have received a letter or email inviting you to take part in the study, go to the "Start now" button at the top of this page. When asked, enter the personal access code that appears on your letter or email.
When do I need to complete the study by?
You should aim to complete the study by Friday 20 October.
Back to table of contents11. Questions about taking part
Where can I find my code to access the online study?
The personal access code for completing the study online is printed on the invitation letter or email you should have received. When you follow the link in your invitation letter or email you will be prompted to enter the 8-digit code printed on the letter or email.
Can I take a break part way through?
Yes, if you would like to take a break, select "Save and Continue later" at the bottom of the survey page. You will be prompted to enter your name and email address. You will then receive an email from SmartSurvey with a unique link, which will take you back to where you left off. To resume the survey, please follow the unique link provided in the email from SmartSurvey.
I do not have access to the internet, but I want to take part
If you have access to the internet via a smartphone or other means (such as via a local library or internet cafe), you will be able to take part in the study.
If you do not have access to the internet and need to complete the study by phone, please call 0800 085 7376 to make an appointment to take part. You will then be called back by an interviewer who will help you complete the study over the phone.
Why have I not received an invite, and how do I get one?
To ensure the study is valid, only those selected to participate in the study will have received an invitation letter or email with a link to the study and their 8-digit personal access code.
Back to table of contents12. Taking part is important
It is your chance to have your voice heard. If you are still not convinced, you do not have to take part if you do not want to. For us to paint an accurate picture of our society, it is vital that we hear from as many people as possible, from all walks of life.
Can I take part in the study in another way other than online?
If you wish to complete the study by phone, please call 0800 085 7376 to make an appointment to take part. You will then be called back by an interviewer who will help you complete the study over the phone.
Can I complete the study in Welsh?
If you wish to complete the study in Welsh, please call 0800 085 7376 to make an appointment to take part. You will then be called back by an interviewer who will help you take part in Welsh.
Unfortunately, there is not currently an online version of the Welsh study.
Can I complete the study in another language?
Currently, the study is only available in English and Welsh. If you wish to complete in Welsh, please call our Survey Enquiry Line on 0800 085 7376.
I have completed the online study but I want to change my answers; what do I do?
If you have submitted your response but would like to change your answers, please call for free on 0800 085 7376 or email govtrustsurvey@ons.gov.uk to let us know.
I have lost my login details needed to complete the study online. Can I have these again?
Because of data confidentiality restrictions, we are not able to supply personal access codes over the telephone. In some instances, we can send your personal access code via email. Please email govtrustsurvey@ons.gov.uk to request this.
How can I tell whether my answers have been successfully submitted?
After you click "Finish survey" on the last page of the survey, you will be directed to a page that says, "You have completed this survey". This means your answers have been submitted successfully.
Back to table of contents13. Confidentiality and data protection
How we have selected you
You were either randomly selected to take part in this study , or in a previous ONS study. If you took part in a previous study, then upon completion of this study, you supplied your contact details to us for potential participation in future studies. Full details of the source of your contact details can be obtained by calling 0800 085 7376 for free or by emailing govtrustsurvey@ons.gov.uk.
We cannot ask another individual to take your place in this study as this would affect how representative our study is.
Will I be identifiable in the results?
No, the information you submit will be treated as confidential as directed by the Code of Practice for Statistics. Any statistics or results produced will not identify you or anyone in your household.
Will anyone else see my answers?
The personal access code is unique to you only. Please keep your code safe. Once you have submitted a completed study, the answers can no longer be accessed using your personal access code.
How will we use the information you provide?
Your personal information will remain confidential.
The details you provide will be combined with those of everyone else taking part so we can produce statistics.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will receive the data collected from this study but will not receive any of your personal information. Any data ONS or OECD publishes will never identify you or your household.
We do not sell on your data and you will not receive junk mail or marketing calls as a result of taking part in one of our studies.
Study information may be provided to approved organisations or researchers for statistical purposes only.
How long will you keep the information I provide?
The information you provide will not identify you or your household and we will only keep your information for as long as it is being used to produce statistics, in line with data protection legislation, including the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
What precautions for data protection and confidentiality have been taken?
The Office for National Statistics adheres to the Code of Practice for Statistics, the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 and processes all personal information with respect, keeping it secure and confidential. If you have a question about how we process your personal data or want to find out more about your rights under data protection legislation, please see our data protection page.
How do we ensure your personal information is held securely?
We take our responsibilities to keep your personal information secure very seriously. As such, we take every reasonable precaution to ensure your information is protected from loss, theft or misuse. These precautions include appropriate physical security of our offices, controlled access to computer systems, and use of secure, encrypted internet connections when collecting personal information.
Cookies
Some online studies collect information through the use of cookies. These are small files stored on your computer. These files are used sparingly and only for quality control and validation and, more importantly, to prevent us sending you reminders for an online study you have already completed. It is possible for you to delete cookies or to prevent their use by adjusting the browser settings on your computer.
We also automatically capture information about your operating system, display settings and browser type to ensure that the study is delivered in a form suited to the software your computer is using. We do not capture any other information from your computer.
Back to table of contents14. What is the ONS’s responsibility to the public?
You can read about the commitments the Office for National Statistics (ONS) makes to those taking part in its surveys in our ONS respondent charter for surveys of households and individuals.
If you have a question about how we process your personal data or want to find out more about your rights under data protection legislation, please see our data protection page.
Sometimes, we collect information on behalf of another organisation. For more information about how your data will be treated in these circumstances, please go to the household and individual surveys page to read about the survey that you have been selected for.
At the ONS, we take seriously our responsibility to the public. It is our policy that we will tell the appropriate authority if we believe there is a serious risk to someone's safety.
We would appreciate your suggestions on how we can improve any of our studies. It would also be great to hear from you if you are happy with the service you have received. You can email us at govtrustsurvey@ons.gov.uk.
Back to table of contents15. Further help
If you have queries, please call our Survey Enquiry Line on 0800 085 7376.
Minicom users should dial 18001 before this number. The opening times are:
9am to 6pm Monday to Friday
9am to 1pm Saturday