Tipps & Tricks
How do you maintain anonymity in surveys?
Hidden identity and confidentiality
As regards to anonymity, three options can be used:
- None (not anonymous)
- The respondents can choose whether they want to remain anonymous or not
- Completely anonymous
You must choose whether or not all respondents remain anonymous, if the respondents can choose whether or not to remain anonymous or if the identity of all respondents shall remain open to all. If the survey contains questions of a sensitive nature or if you don’t have to know how each person responds to each question, allow the respondents to remain anonymous. A good example of this type of survey would be measurements surrounding conditions in the work environment. It is important that you explain in the introduction how the information will be treated. Emphasize in any event that the results will be treated confidentially and with caution regardless of whether the respondent is anonymous or not.
How can the identity be revealed?
If the respondent provides their name or any other personal information in a free text answer, this will help identify who has answered what, even if the respondent’s email address or other identity details are not linked to the answers .In the same way the identity can be revealed if background or respondent data is uploaded that can be linked to individuals and can reveal the identity. This could be information such as name, customer number, etc.