With your permission we would like to link your Understanding Society survey data with your energy usage data.
Information on energy use and energy efficiency for each address in the country is collected by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and held by them and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). We would like to link the information for your address to your survey answers to enable valuable research on the energy use of different types of households.
If you would prefer to read this information in a leaflet format, please download the leaflet Linking your survey data with your energy data (PDF 1MB).
How does linking my energy data help Understanding Society?
Using Understanding Society’s linked energy data, researchers can better understand:
- The impact of low energy price resilience, which is a measure that helps identify households that are most vulnerable to the energy price crisis.
- Our environmental attitudes towards new government policies.
- Information on our household consumption and our energy ratings.
- The effect of our carbon footprint on our wellbeing.
Who will use it?
Like your survey responses, the additional information would be used by academic and social policy researchers for non-commercial statistical analysis. Any sensitive information would only be made available to them under restricted access arrangements which make sure that the information is used responsibly and safely. Names and addresses are never included in the results and no individual can be identified from the research.
What are the benefits of me giving consent?
Shorter surveys
If we can link your survey answers to your energy records, we don’t have to ask you about these in the survey and the interview can be shorter.
Help improve energy services
Linking to energy data means researchers can look at our energy habits. In the future this might help reduce energy bills for certain households.
What does my permission cover?
Information can only be released with your permission. To make the link between energy use and energy efficiency records for your address, and your survey responses we would need to pass on your address to the ONS. They will use this information to identify your administrative records.
Your address will only be used to identify your information. Before any information you have consented to share is sent back to us, your address will be removed by the ONS. Your energy data will be linked to your survey responses using an anonymous unique ID number. This will be stored securely at the ONS. None of your survey responses will be shared with these organisations, and your current and future dealings with any of the government departments or agencies will not change.
Like the answers you have given us in the survey, the additional energy information will be treated in confidence and in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
How long does your consent last?
We would like to add information relating to your present, past and future circumstances. We are not putting an expiry date to this consent as we do not know exactly when we will obtain and add the information.
We will remind you regularly of the permissions you have given, and you are free to withdraw your consent at any time. If you do choose to withdraw your consent we will no longer link your records to your survey responses but we will retain data which has been previously linked if you have given us permission.
What about data security?
Your survey answers and linked energy use will be anonymised and will only be used for research and statistics. We are extremely security conscious and all our systems are password protected and only accessed by a small number of authorised staff.
The information we need to exchange with the government departments and agencies will be sent via secure transfer systems. We follow the most up-to-date security protocols and procedures and are compliant with the standards of the ISO 27001 data security protocols and procedures. Your personal details, such as your name, contact details and date of birth, will be secure at all times.
Are there any risks involved in giving permission?
There are no risks associated with adding information on energy use and energy efficiency at your address to your survey responses.
Do you have to give permission?
No, linking your energy data, like the rest of Understanding Society is completely voluntary.
What are the benefits of giving permission?
Adding this information collected by the DESNZ to your survey responses will help us to get a better picture of energy use.
Has the study been reviewed and approved by an Ethics Committee?
Yes. In this case, the study has been approved by the NHS Health Research Authority, East of England – Essex Research Ethics Committee, reference: 22/EE/0260.
What if you change your mind?
If you wish to withdraw your permission at any point in the future, please write to:
FREEPOST RRXX-KEKJ-JGKS
Understanding Society
University of Essex
Wivenhoe Park
Colchester, CO4 3SQ
Please sign and date your letter.
What if you have concerns about the way the study was carried out?
If you have any concerns about any aspect of the study, or you have a complaint, in the first instance please contact us on Freephone 0800 252 853 or by email contact@understandingsociety.ac.uk. They will pass the information onto the principal investigator of the project, Professor Michaela Benzeval.
If are still concerned, or if you think your complaint has not been addressed to your satisfaction, or you feel that you cannot approach the principal investigator, please contact the departmental Director of Research in the department responsible for this project, Professor Paul Clarke, pclarke@essex.ac.uk.
If you are still not satisfied, please contact the University’s Research Governance and Planning Manager , Mantalena Sotiriadou, ms21994@essex.ac.uk.