Focus Group about outdoor environments that prominently feature water: Privacy notice

In line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), there are certain things that we need to let you, a research participant, know about how your information will be processed. In this privacy notice, we explain the legal basis for data processing, who will have access to your personal data, how your data will be used, stored and deleted, and who you can contact to make a query or a complaint.

Who is collecting my data?

The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) is carrying out this research on behalf of Natural England to better understand how people use outdoor environments – either natural or manmade - that prominently feature water, including beaches, coastlines, the sea, as well as rivers, lakes, and canals.

The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) is Britain’s largest independent social research agency. For over 50 years, we have been working with charities, universities and government to find out what people really think about the big issues. NatCen is independent of all government departments and political parties.

What is the legal basis for processing data?

For the purpose of data protection legislation, Natural England are the data controllers and NatCen are the data processers. This means Natural England is responsible for deciding the purpose and legal basis for processing data from this study. For this study, the legal basis for processing data is ‘Public Task’.

Why have I been selected?

NatCen are working with Criteria, who will help to recruit participants for the focus groups. Criteria is on NatCen’s approved supplier list and compliant with all of NatCen’s information security policies. If you agree to take part in this research, your contact details (including email address and phone number) will be transferred by Criteria to NatCen using a secure file transfer system and stored in a secure folder on NatCen’s server. We will not share your contact details with third parties.

What data is being collected?

The personal data collected for this research will include your contact details, the region you live in, your age, ethnicity, gender, employment status, socio-economic group, how often you use outdoor environments that mainly feature water, and the types of activities you do there. Your personal details will not be held for any longer than is necessary and will be securely deleted after six months.

With your permission, focus groups will be audio recorded and transcribed.

Who will have access to my personal data?

Your data will be held securely by NatCen in line with the UK GDPR. Only the NatCen research team and the transcription partner that we work with will have access to personal data that you provide during the focus group. All the information you provide will be held in strict confidence and held securely.

We are collaborating with a couple of external organisations listed as approved suppliers by NatCen, all of whom adhere to NatCen’s information security policies. McGowan Transcriptions will provide transcription services for NatCen. Additionally, Criteria, a market research agency, will recruit all of the participants that will take part in the research. If you agree to take part in this research, your contact details (including email address and phone number) will be transferred by Criteria to NatCen using a secure file transfer system and stored in a secure folder on NatCen’s server. We will not share your contact details with third parties.

What will you do with the information I give?

The data collected will be used for research purposes only.

NatCen will write a report covering the main themes and issues that have been discussed in the focus group. NatCen will not name you in the report nor will it be possible to identify you from your focus group data. The report may include quotes of what you have said. The quotes will be labelled anonymously, and any other identifiable information will be removed.

The report may be published on the Natural England website.

All personal information, and any other data held on the project, will be securely deleted within 6 months of project completion.

You can withdraw from the study at any time prior to analysis by date. If you wish to do so, please contact the NatCen research team on the study email address or phone number provided below.

Will my contact information be shared with anyone else?

We will never share your contact details with third parties, including government, charities or commercial companies for marketing purposes. If there was a legitimate research purpose for sharing contact details or identifiable information, we would only do so with your direct permission.

Will I have access to my information?

Yes, but please note that once your data is combined with others’, anonymised or research findings have been published, we will not be able to change the findings by removing individual information. However, you can always request that your personal data be deleted or updated, and we will let you know immediately if this is possible or not.

What are my rights?

You have rights with regards to your personal data. These include:

• The right to request copies of your personal data.
• The right to ask us to correct any personal data that we hold about you that’s inaccurate or incomplete.
• The right to ask us to delete personal data that we hold about you.
• The right to object or restrict how we’re processing your personal data.

Who to contact if you have a query or complaint?

To contact the research team at NatCen, please use the following email: bluespacestudy@natcen.ac.uk.

If you have any questions about how your data will be used, you can contact NatCen’s Data Protection Officer at dpo@natcen.ac.uk.

Natural England’s privacy policy has more information about your rights in relation to your personal data, how to complain and how to contact the Data Protection Officer. You can view it at link.

If you are unhappy with the way your personal data is being processed, you can report it to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at https://ico.org.uk/ or by calling the ICO helpline on 0303 123 1113.