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About You questions
We ask questions about you at the end of every survey. These questions are completely optional for you to answer.
We ask questions about you at the end of every survey. These questions are completely optional for you to answer.
They are used to understand who is having their say about our projects and who is not. It helps us to identify if we are failing to reach key groups in an area and to adapt our engagement styles to reach more people. Most importantly, it means that the feedback we receive reflects the community we are working with.
Why do we ask about you?
We ask questions about you so that we can understand who is engaging with our projects. The information helps us to understand which groups of people we are engaging with and which groups we could engage with better. We only know this by asking the questions. All of the questions about you are completely optional and will be anonymised.
As a public body we have to follow the public sector equality duty. This means we consider the needs of everyone in our day-to-day work, which supports good decision making.
Part of the public sector equality duty that we must follow states:
A public authority must, in the exercise of its functions, have due regard to the need to—
(a)eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under this Act;
(b)advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it;
(c)foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
How did we decide on the questions?
We want to make sure we ask the right questions and give people the chance to identify in a way that represents them. In order to decide on these questions we:
- Consulted with our internal Equality, Diversity and Inclusion working group
- We worked with our Equality Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Information Governance Team and had the questions approved at Director level.
- We periodically review the questions we have decided on to make sure they continue to follow best practice
What do we do with the information?
The information from the questions about you will be used for reporting purposes. We will never allow your information to be identifiable. All of our reports will be anonymised.
We ask questions about you so that we can understand who is engaging with our projects. The information helps us to understand which groups of people we are engaging with and which groups we could engage with better. We only know this by asking the questions. All of the questions about you are completely optional and will be anonymised.
Below, you can find some the questions we ask and why we ask them
- Area
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What is your postcode?
We ask this question to understand where you live in relation to the project we are asking for feedback against. This will help us understand if views are shared by people living in a certain area. It will also help us to identify if there are any areas where we have had smaller numbers of responses.
Sometimes, when reporting we will show maps of roughly how many responses we’ve had from which areas. These maps are never detailed enough for a person to be located or found and will never show road names.
- Biological sex and gender
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What is your sex?
Your biological sex is a protected characteristic, recognised in the Equality Act 2010.
Someone’s experiences and views could be different depending on what their biological sex is. By asking this question we are able to better understand if a person’s biological sex means they share different views.
Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?
In line with the equality act, if you are proposing to undergo, undergoing, or undergone a process of reassigning your sex, this is a protected characteristic recognised in the Equality Act 2010.
Someone’s experiences and views could be different depending on whether their gender has changed since birth. By asking this question we can better understand if a person’s gender means they share different views.
- Age
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How old are you?
We ask this question to understand how old our survey respondents are. A person’s experience can change depending on what age they are. By asking a person how old they are, we are able to hear from a range of different views.
Age is also classed as a protected characteristic. As a person’s age is a protected characteristic, we must make sure we are engaging and representing the views of the community we are working with. One way we can do this effectively is by measuring the age of those who respond to our projects.
- Ethnicity or ethnic background
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How would you describe your ethnicity or ethnic background?
A person’s ethnicity or ethnic background can impact their experiences. By asking this question we better understand what people think about the proposals we make in our project, and if that has a correlation to their ethnicity or ethnic background.
A person’s ethnicity or ethnic background is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. As a public body, we have a duty to make sure we are engaging and representing the views of the community we are working with. One way we can do this effectively is by understanding the ethnicity or ethnic background of people who respond to our projects.
- Disability
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Do you have any physical or mental health conditions or illnesses lasting or expected to last 12 months or more? Do any of your conditions or illnesses reduce your ability to carry out day-to-day activities?
If someone has a disability it can impact their experiences and shape their views. By asking this question we better understand what people think about the proposals we make in our projects, and if that has a correlation to whether they have a disability.
Having a disability is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. As a public body, we have a duty to make sure we are engaging and representing the views of the community we are working with. One way we can do this effectively is by understanding who is responding to our projects and if their views differ if they have a disability.
- Sexual Orientation
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How would you describe your sexual orientation?
A person’s sexual orientation can impact their experiences and shape their views. By asking this question we better understand what people think about the proposals we make in our project, and if that has a correlation to their sexual orientation.
A person’s sexual orientation is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. As a public body, we have a duty to make sure we are engaging and representing the views of the community we are working with. One way we can do this effectively is by understanding who is responding to our projects and if their views differ depending on their sexual orientation.
- Religion or belief
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What is your religion or belief?
A person’s religion or belief can impact their experiences and shape their views. By asking this question we better understand what people think about the proposals we make in our project, and if that has a correlation to their religion.
A person's religion or belief (including lack of belief) is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. As a public body, we have a duty to make sure we are engaging and representing the views of the community we are working with. One way we can do this effectively is by understanding who is responding to our projects and if their views differ depending on their religion or belief.