Posts Tagged ‘Respondents’

Survey Privacy and Confidentiality Issues

Author : Ryan J

One of the main challenges in conducting surveys is overcoming your audience s natural aversion toward providing personal information In short, potential respondents fear that their answers to your survey questions may be leaked or used inappropriately While you are confident that such leaks or misuse of the data will not happen, you must convince your population sample First, it is important to understand their objections related to the privacy of their responses Only be realizing your sample s concerns can you begin to address them effectively Below, we ll explore these objections and describe ways in which you can ensure the security of their information

Common Respondent Objections

The more connected the world becomes, the more cautious many people are with exposing their personal information Even coaxing relatively benign information such as your respondent s real first and last name can prove challenging There are 2 primary reasons why people are often unwilling to provide their name, phone number, address, income, and other demographic information

First, they want to avoid becoming the target of marketing solicitations Too often, people have given their personal information to survey organizations only to find that their information has been sold to marketing firms As a result, they begin receiving unwanted sales phone calls and junk mail

Second, identity theft is a common fear Respondents are concerned that providing personal information will expose them to potential risk of having their identity stolen To their credit, there are many unsavory survey organizations who will happily sell respondents information without regard for the buyers intentions

Understanding these common objections allows you to reassure respondents about the confidentiality of their survey answers

Ways To Ensure Confidentiality

Any time you are conducting a survey that solicits personal information, you will need to implement a number of security protocols to protect that information You should keep the results of the survey completely separate from each respondents answers Whether collected by mail, online, or through a telephone interview, separating the responses from the results prevents a potential security breach

Also, access to individual responses should only be granted to authorized personnel who have a valid reason for needing access When it is granted, it should be done so behind a username and password That way, it can be tracked Further, if personal information is collected online, it should be encrypted That way, there is little chance of the data being intercepted by unauthorized parties

Communicate Privacy And Security

While your respondents concerns about the privacy of their information is valid, your reasons for needing that information may be equally valid First, having respondents contact information (phone number, mailing address, etc ) allows you to follow up with them if you need to clarify their responses Second, it helps you to avoid improperly targeting a portion of the larger population (referred to as sample bias ) For example, your target population may have completed high school, but not attended college By asking respondents to provide their level of education, you can avoid surveying a sample with a significantly higher level of education than your broader population

In the end, you must reassure respondents that their sensitive personal data is secure Explain the security and privacy measures that your company has implemented to ensure their confidentiality Let them know that their responses will only be used to derive statistically valid trends over a broad demographic If you can comfort respondents anxiety about privacy concerns, they will be less resistant to offering the information you need Your response rate will increase as will the accuracy of the information they provide

SurveyGizmo is a leading provider of online survey tools, check them out on the web at http://www.surveygizmo.com

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Improved Drainage A Priority in Flood Fight

Author : Steve Smith

Consumers view improving drainage systems throughout the UK as the first priority in an effort to reduce the risk of flooding around the country, according to new research

The results of a consumer survey published by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has suggested that the majority of consumers feel that the risk of flooding is increasing Using a sample of 1,000 people from areas of the country which were badly hit by last year's severe weather, the association found that 88 per cent of people viewed the threat of flooding as more pronounced than it used to be Furthermore, 64 per cent of the 1,000 respondents living in less severely affected regions said they felt the same Around three-quarters (74 per cent) of both groups said they did not feel that the government was doing enough to combat the risk and limit the effect of future flooding

When asked whether they supported the ABI's proposal for increased governmental action on the issue, 91 per cent of those badly hit and 92 per cent of those relatively unaffected by the 2007 floods said they were in favour of the call

Of the first group, 98 per cent said that improved drainage was the most important priority, while 96 per cent of the second set concurred There was also concern about the location of new homes, with 97 per cent of those living in affected areas saying that there should be regulations about building properties on at-risk sites

For those who suffered from last year's flooding or who have had some other major structural damage befall their property in the 12 months since then, taking a secured loan may provide the funds necessary for repair and renovation Such a loan may be particularly useful for those who found themselves without home insurance protection following an unforeseen event

Indeed, the ABI insisted that unless government action is taking to ensure that new homes are protected against the risk of flooding, it is likely that many such properties will become uninsurable as cover providers find themselves to cover the costs arising from claims

Speaking at the ABI's Floods - One Year On conference, Nick Starling, the association's director of general insurance and health, said: "Insurers will have paid out 3 billion pounds following the floods last summer But, like us, our customers share our concerns for the future These findings reinforce our call for a long-term flood management strategy In particular we must tackle the problem of surface water drainage Planning for the future is essential if we are to minimise a repeat of last year's terrible floods and to ensure that flood insurance protection remains widely available "

Among the recommended solutions is the creation of a new kitemark system to demonstrate that new properties have been built in accordance with flood protection criteria

Earlier this year, Halifax also warned consumers of the danger of high winds and the costs that could be incurred if adequate home insurance cover is not taken out It recorded that more than 1 5 million homes experienced roof damage as winds of up to 77 miles per hour battered parts of the country

Steve Smith writes for 1 Stop Finance Shop. A one stop shop for all your poor credit loans, online debt consolidation and the best personal loans.Visit Today

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