How do you deal with sensitive or confidential data in your survey communication and reporting?

1 Identify sensitive or confidential data

Before you design your survey, you need to identify what kind of data is sensitive or confidential. This may include personal information, health records, financial details, trade secrets, opinions on controversial issues, or any other data that could harm or expose the respondents or the clients if disclosed. You should also check the legal and ethical requirements and standards for collecting and storing such data in your context.

2 Use encryption and secure platforms

When you collect, store, and transfer sensitive or confidential data, you should use encryption and secure platforms. Encryption is a process of transforming data into an unreadable format that can only be decrypted with a key or a password. Secure platforms are online services or software that offer encryption, authentication, and authorization features to protect your data from unauthorized access or breaches. For example, you can use encrypted survey tools, cloud storage, email, or messaging apps to communicate and share data with your respondents and clients.

3 Limit access and disclosure

Another way to deal with sensitive or confidential data is to limit who can access and disclose it. You should only grant access to the data to those who need it for the survey research purpose and have the appropriate clearance or consent. You should also avoid disclosing the data to third parties or the public without the permission of the respondents or the clients. If you need to share the data for reporting or publication, you should anonymize, aggregate, or redact it to protect the identity and confidentiality of the sources.

4 Follow data retention and disposal policies

Finally, you should follow the data retention and disposal policies that apply to your survey research project. Data retention is the period of time that you keep the data for the survey research purpose. Data disposal is the process of deleting or destroying the data after the retention period or when it is no longer needed. You should follow the policies that are set by the respondents, the clients, the law, or the ethics of your field. You should also use secure methods of disposal, such as shredding, wiping, or overwriting the data.

5 Review and update your practices

As a survey researcher, you should review and update your practices for dealing with sensitive or confidential data regularly. You should monitor the changes in the data protection laws, regulations, and standards that affect your survey research context. You should also evaluate the risks and benefits of collecting and using such data for your survey research purpose. You should also seek feedback and advice from your respondents, clients, colleagues, and experts on how to improve your practices and ensure compliance and trust.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?