Climate change perceptions and actions survey: privacy notice

The Welsh Government has commissioned WSP Ltd, in collaboration with Accent, to undertake a survey of Climate Change Perceptions and Actions in Wales. The aim of this survey is to gather the views of a sample of people in Wales of their perceptions and subsequent actions in response to climate change. The Welsh Government wishes to explore these perceptions and actions both in the immediate term and see how they change over time.

As part of this research project, WSP Ltd in conjunction with Accent will be gathering information by both online and face-to-face surveys. 

The Welsh Government is the data controller for the research. However, WSP Ltd in conjunction with Accent will delete any personal data provided through the online and face to face surveys, and anonymise the raw data, before it is shared with the Welsh Government.

The information collected during the project will be included in a series of reports published on the Welsh Government website.

Your participation in this research is completely voluntary. However, your views and experiences are important to help inform Welsh Government policies.

The contact for this research at WSP Ltd is Bryan Whittaker.
E-mail address: Bryan.Whittaker@wsp.com 
Telephone number: +44 16 1886 2590

What personal data do we hold and where do we get this information?

Personal data is defined under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified by reference to an identifier’.

WSP Ltd and Accent have selected your address to take part in the survey as a result of their sampling methodology based on picking addresses from maps that are across the regions of Wales. 

As part of the survey (either face-to-face or online) you name or contact information will not be included in the survey. If you complete your survey online after following the link on the postcard, it will not capture your email address or IP address. As such the survey responses are entirely anonymous. 

If you request to undertake the survey in Welsh (e.g.  when visited by a face-to-face interviewer who cannot speak Welsh) then Accent will need to collect the following personal information so that a Welsh speaking interviewer can contact you by phone:

• Name
• Landline phone number or mobile phone number

Accent will only use this information to conduct a survey with you and this information will be kept separate from your survey responses.  

Survey respondents are offered a voucher as a thank-you for taking part in the survey. If you wish to claim a voucher on completion of the survey, then you will need to provide the following personal information so that Accent can distribute your voucher: 

• Name
• Email address or postal address

The vouchers will be administered by Accent provided within four weeks of completion of the survey questionnaire. The vouchers will be distributed by e-mail which will contain a link to the appropriate voucher selected or direct you to supply your address for the voucher to be posted to you. Accent will only use your name, email address or postal address for the purposes of distributing vouchers and this information will be kept separate from your survey responses.

If you raise a query or complaint and provide personal data requesting a response, the researcher will forward the request only to the relevant official and subsequently delete it from the research data.

What is the lawful basis for using your data?

The lawful basis for processing information in this data collection exercise is our public task; that is, exercising our official authority to undertake the core role and functions of the Welsh Government. 

Participation is completely voluntary. Research studies such as this are important for the Welsh Government to collect information and actionable evidence about its ability to deliver government priorities. The information collected in this research, for example, might be used to inform communication campaigns and policy developments connected to decarbonisation efforts in Wales and reaching Net Zero.

How secure is your personal data?

Personal information provided to WSP Ltd and Accent is always stored on a secure server. The data can only be accessed by a limited number of researchers working on this project. WSP Ltd and Accent will only use this data for research purposes. WSP Ltd and Accent have Cyber Essentials certification. 

When conducting the survey, Accent will use a survey software programme called Accis. We have ensured that Accis is UK GDPR compliant and meets our expectations in terms of the security of any data that is collected via the software.

WSP Ltd and Accent have procedures to deal with any suspected data security breaches. If a suspected breach occurs, WSP Ltd and Accent will report this to the Welsh Government who will notify you and any applicable regulator where we are legally required to do so. 

WSP Ltd and Accent will use the information gathered to produce a series of reports that will be published on the Welsh Government website. This report will not include any information that could be used to identify individual participants. 

How long do we keep your personal data? 

WSP Ltd and Accent will hold personal data during the contract period, and any personal data not already removed will be deleted by WSP Ltd and Accent within three months after the end of the contract. 

WSP Ltd and Accent will provide Welsh Government with an anonymised version of the data which will not include any information that could identify you.

Individual rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to the personal information you provide as part of this research project, you have the right:

• To access a copy of your own data. 
• For us to rectify inaccuracies in that data.
• To object to or restrict processing (in certain circumstances).
• For your data to be ‘erased’ (in certain circumstances); and
• To lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is our independent regulator for data protection.

The contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office are:

Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF.

Phone: 0303 123 1113.

Website: Information Commissioner's Office

Further Information

If you have any further questions about how the data provided as part of this study will be used by the Welsh Government or wish to exercise your rights using the UK General Data Protection Regulation, please contact:

Name: Victoria West 
E-mail address: victoria.west@gov.wales 
Telephone number: 03000 258914

The Welsh Government’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted at: 
Welsh Government, 
Cathays Park, 
Cardiff, 
CF10 3NQ, 

Email: DataProtectionOfficer@gov.wales.