Exploring the relationship between gambling behaviour, suicidality, and treatment support: Privacy notice

In line with the 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.

Who is collecting my data?

The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and YouGov are collecting your data for this study on behalf of GambleAware. 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. YouGov is an international online research data and analytics technology group.

Why have I been contacted?

Either YouGov has contacted you to take part in a survey, or, NatCen has contacted you to take part in an in-depth interview because you showed interest in this study and have agreed to be contacted about taking part in research. By taking part you’ll be making your opinion on important issues count and ensuring that your views, and the views of people like you, are represented. 

What if I change my mind about taking part?

You are under no obligation take part in any questionnaire or interview. Participation is completely voluntary – it’s your choice. You can change your mind at any point about taking part.

As a participant, you have the right to withdraw your permission for data processing at any time and you do not have to justify or explain why you are doing so. To withdraw your permission, please contact the study team at grhst@natcen.ac.uk.

If you withdraw your permission, we will stop processing your data. For any data that you have provided up to that point, we will remove the original data. If the data has already been aggregated with other responses as part of our analyses for the final report, we will not be able to disaggregate your data. However, you would not be identifiable in the aggregated results.

What data is being collected?

For this research we will be conducting both a survey and in-depth interviews. For both of these activities, we will ask questions on a variety of topics including your views and experiences of gambling, access to support for gambling harms, and experiences of suicidality, including suicidal ideation.

To help with analysis, we ask for some information classed as sensitive personal data, such as ethnicity and religion. Participation is entirely voluntary, and you can skip individual questions if you prefer.

We are aware that answering a survey or taking part in an interview about your personal experiences may raise issues which you might like further advice and support about. You will be provided with an aftercare leaflet with some services and telephone numbers which you may find useful in this case.

What will you do with the information I give?

The information you give will be analysed to answer research questions. If you are taking part in the survey, most of the results will appear as percentages and statistics – we will never identify your individual opinion in the results without seeking your direct permission. Pseudonymised data (without identifying details such as your name, address or date of birth) will be shared from YouGov to NatCen and will be stored securely so that only the NatCen research team has access to that data.

If you are taking part in interviews, the interview will be recorded to keep an accurate record of the discussion. If you would prefer for us not to record the interview, we will draw on detailed notes instead. The recording will be typed up, stored safely, and then deleted when we have written our report.

The only people who will know that you have taken part or what you have said are people involved in the research. This includes the NatCen team and organisations supporting the research (e.g. our transcribers and recruiters). We never pass on your details to other organisations for any other reason. The only exception is if you tell us that you or someone else is at immediate risk of harm. In this situation, we would always try to discuss this with you first before speaking with anyone.

The findings from the interviews will be used to inform the next stages of the research project and insights will be included in a final report for GambleAware. The report will not identify any individuals who took part, although we may also use anonymous quotes from the interviews in our report. The final report will be publicly available on the GambleAware website.

Will my contact information be shared with anyone else?

NatCen 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.

How does NatCen keep data safe?

All the information will be held in accordance with current data protection legislation (GDPR). All information you provide to us is stored on secure servers with protected access. We use strict procedures and security features to prevent unauthorised access. NatCen holds ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications.

Only named individuals in the NatCen research team will have access to recordings and transcripts. We’ll also share the recordings and transcripts with our trusted transcription service.

McGowan Transcriptions is the transcription service we use to transcribe our interview data. They will have access to recordings and transcriptions from all interviews, and will only be shared through a secure online transfer system. McGowan Transcriptions is on our approved supplier list and compliant with all of our information security policies.

How long will the information I give be held?

All your personal details will be held until no longer required for research purposes, in accordance with current data protection legislation (GDPR). We will delete all data after the completion of the project. This research project is due to be completed in October 2025.

Under this legislation, YouGov and Natcen are the ‘Data Controllers’ for this study. We process your information for research purposes on the basis of ‘Legitimate Interest’. We process your special category data under the condition of ‘Archiving, research and statistics’.

Will I have access to my data?

If you have recently completed the questionnaire or taken part in an interview and have changed your mind about taking part or about any of the answers you gave then please get in touch by emailing grhst@natcen.ac.uk.

If you have taken part in the survey, we’ll do our best to amend or delete your data. Because your data are collected for research and statistical purposes, you do not have the right to access it or request for it to be amended.

If you have taken part in an interview, you are free to change your mind on your involvement at any point prior to, during, and after the interview. During the interview you are also free to not answer any questions you would prefer not to answer. Your participation or non-participation has no effect on you.

Who can I contact with a query or a complaint?

If you have any questions about how your personal information will be processed as part of this study, please contact the NatCen research team at grhst@natcen.ac.uk.

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

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office. Please go to www.ico.gov.uk for more information.