Who we are
PS Research (formerly Pearson Insight) is a research company based in Lancashire. We carry out a range of research services for our clients, including market research and community surveys. It’s really important we take the data we work with seriously.
This Privacy Notice sets out when and why we collect personal information, how we use it responsibly and what we do to keep it safe and secure.
PS Research is fully committed to meeting the expectations not only of the General Data Protection Regulation, but also industry-recognised standards such as the Market Research Society (MRS) Code of Conduct as an MRS Company Partner.
Types of data we collect
We collect information through online surveys as well as other market research methods such as by post, telephone or face-to-face. There are also times when we might collect information at focus groups, workshops or engagement events.
We always ensure that we only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary to the survey or project we are working on. Personal data can include your name, address, home postcode, email address or telephone number. It can also include information about your age, gender, health, ethnicity, religion or other socio-demographic information.
All our surveys are optional to complete so you can simply choose not to share information with us that you’re not comfortable with. We require a legal basis to process any personal data. Our legal basis for processing, unless otherwise stated, is your consent to proceed with completing a survey.
To ensure our online surveys are reliable and robust we may limit one response per computer/ device by capturing an IP address. This is never used for analysis purposes. See ‘data security and processing’ for more on how we keep data secure and process it responsibly.
We collect your email address when you sign up to our newsletter.
How we use data
We use the data we collect to undertake analysis and produce reports for our clients. Our reports only provide analysis at a broad category level based on all the responses to a particular survey. Any comments received in our surveys will be redacted of clear personal information before being shared with clients.
Occasionally, depending on the project, we may use personal data to notify someone if they win a prize draw, follow up with a telephone interview or to undertake quality checks on the research process.
It will always be clear in our surveys how we will use the information you provide.
If you sign up to our newsletter, we only collect your email address.
Sharing data
Projects and surveys we deliver for clients are bound by a contract which covers data sharing. This clearly and legally sets out who we will and won’t share data with, as well as how we share it securely and responsibly.
Occasionally we may work with other organisations or consultants to deliver a project or survey. In these instances, we will have a contract in place to control the sharing of data.
There can be times when we need to disclose personal information without consent. This would include a requirement by law or if it is to protect someone’s safety.
If you join our newsletter, your email address is stored and processed through our mailing list provider, MailerLite.
Data security and processing
Keeping data secure and processing it responsibly is really important to us. We have a range of clear policies and procedures in place to do this.
We use SmartSurvey to host our online surveys and you can find out more about their data policy and security in their Privacy Policy.
Audio recording of qualitative interviews, which may contain personal data if this is shared during the interview, may be shared with a commercially available transcription service for the purpose of transcription. Occasionally, data may be transferred out of the EEA, however in such cases it will be covered by appropriate privacy policies. For example, audio recordings may be transferred out of the EEA for the purposes of transcription, using a transcription service that is signed up to the Privacy Shield Framework. We currently use the Otter service.
We don’t keep data and information any longer than we need to. For all projects and surveys we complete for our clients, we keep personal data on file for 6 months before deleting and destroying it in accordance with our retention schedule.
Use of cookies
We collect information on how people use the PS Research website through Google Analytics cookies. We use these cookies to ensure that we give you get the best experience on our website and to improve the website’s performance. These cookies contain no personal information and are only used for web analytics.
They are:
Name: _utma
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: 2 years
Name:_utmb
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: 30 minutes
Name: _utmc
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: when the user exits the browser
Name:_utmz
Typical content: randomly generated number, plus information on how the site was reached (for example, directly, via a link or through organic search)
Expires: 6 months
Name: _gat
Typical content: This is used to reduce request rate
Expires: 10 minutes
Name: _ga
Typical content: Randomly generated used to distinguish users visiting the site
Expires: 2 years
Access to personal information
Throughout any surveys or research we undertake, participation is always voluntary and we will clearly ask for consent and set out its purpose.
However, you are entitled to view, amend or delete the personal information that we hold. If you have an access request then please email hello@psresearch.co.uk
If you have a complaint about how your personal information is processed then you can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Changes to this Privacy Notice
We keep our Privacy Notice under regular review. This was last updated on 25 May 2023.