Anna Davison , Jean Beetham , Jared Thomas, Abigail Harding, Vivienne Ivory, and Chris Bowie

PUBLIC ATTITUDES TO DATA INTEGRATION

Highlight findings from the report prepared for Statistics New Zealand

Opus Research, Opus International Consultants Ltd, Lower Hutt

OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION

• Key results of interviews, workshops, online discussion

• Highlight findings

• Trust in Statistics NZ

• Recommendations

NARRATIVE INTERVIEW TOOL

The interview schedule was an effective tool:

• Ice breaker engaging & provided personal context

• Demonstrated differences between operational and statistical use of integrated data

• Participants’ responses were thoughtful: showed appreciation from different perspectives

• Scenarios generated interesting discussion around acceptability thresholds, benefits, costs, and values

NARRATIVE INTERVIEWS - OUTCOMES

• Participants considered it extremely important that data is shared with and used by the right people and for the right purpose – to provide benefit, rather than harm.

“Most information has the potential for a positive and negative outcome for different

people. It depends who makes the decisions and who has the information”

• They felt strongly that information should not be shared with non-Government or private organisations without their consent/permission.

• “You wouldn’t want a loan shark setting up in an area where there is a high level of poverty, people won’t turn down a pot of gold, but it will be more detrimental to them in the long run”

NARRATIVE INTERVIEWS – APPROPRIATE USE

• De-personalised, pooled data was seen as useful, as long as it was used by the right people and was used to have a positive impact for either a particular group of individuals or wider society.

• “I would be happy for the information to be used if it is going to help other parents… if it would benefit my child.”

NARRATIVE INTERVIEWS – AGGREGATE DATA

ACTION RESEARCH WORKSHOPS – THE METHOD

The blocks made the DI process more understandable and personal

– stacking blocks– holding blocks close– bold moves– lots of debate & discussion

Lots of questions about how data could be integrated

No clear purpose so….participants co-created the why & what and then judged acceptability based on that

ACTION RESEARCH WORKSHOP – DATA TYPES

• Type of data was very important in determining acceptability

Normal, routine data

Personal, complex, sensitive data

Too much information!

They already have that!

ACTION RESEARCH WORKSHOP – PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

Attitudes to data integration can be strongly attributed to personal experiences with and trust in

government authorities and statisticsdata integration may be: unnecessarynot useful misused

Negativeexperien

ces

data integration may be used to produce public benefits and increase fairness

Positive experien

ces

ACTION RESEARCH WORKSHOP – PRIVACY & SECURITY

When workshop participants discussed integrated data being held in a single database and linked to their personal or identifying information they tended to become increasingly less comfortable with statistical data integration.

“The important thing is how is this confidential

information treated? Is it strictly confidential and anonymous or can it be

misused?”

“If everything here is in Statistics NZ, if someone hacked it they

would know everything about me, and that’s scary.

That would have to be so secure, otherwise it’s too much

information they’ve got about individuals, it’s very powerful.”

ACTION RESEARCH WORKSHOP – TRANSPARENCY & CONSENT

Some participants felt that informed consent should be required for data integration

“People need to know what’s being shared and how it’s being used, and why they

need that, and that you can say no to

having your data integrated”

ONLINE CONSULTATION - PROCESS

ONLINE CONSULTATION – LESSONS

• Rigidity of the tool“It was not as interactive as I’d expected”

• Development of rapport with other experts“…Felt very hesitant to edit other people's comments very much. Easier to put in a new comment.”

• Extreme scenarios“There were two types of concerns that people raised: privacy concerns and concerns about whether the idea was a good one.”“It was impossible to overcome or address the concerns”But, valuable insights were still found

• Mixed views on short timeframes – “waffling on” vs “tight timeframes”

ONLINE CONSULTATION – IMPROVING ACCEPTABILITY

• Who uses it?• What for?• How it is protected?

• Some experts felt that DI should only occur if:– The public are informed– The public find it widely

acceptable

FairAccura

te

Representative

In public interest

Valid measure

UsefulCORE

VALUES

ONLINE CONSULTATION – LIMITATIONS AND BENEFITS• Experts more aware of limitations of administrative

data:– Lack accuracy, or not be in a convenient form– Only capture those who interact with agency

• Benefits– Longitudinal tracking–More current, regular, accurate, detailed, and diverse data

Better data

Better research and

information

Better decisions and service

s

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

• Most New Zealanders appear to have a relatively positive perception of data integration by public sector agencies

• Attitudes to data integration do not appear to be strongly associated with particular types of social groups

• Acceptability of data integration appears to be largely influenced by the individual’s own personal experiences

• There also appears to be a more general value-based concern around appropriate use

TRUST IN STATISTICS NEW ZEALAND AS A DATA CUSTODIAN• Most of the research participants had a very high level of trust in

Statistics New Zealand as a professional, competent, and trustworthy custodian of data.

“I don’t have a problem bearing in mind it’s going to statistics and it’s not shared, and no one else gets

access to it.”

“Statistics NZ need to change their name, and it may change their attitude, and portray a better, a more engaging type of response. Stats

to me are scary, but if they could encompass wellbeing, I’m sure people would be more responsive.”

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Statistics NZ could consider providing positive messaging around data integration to ensure they retain and gain the trust of the New Zealand public

– Reassure of security, confidentiality, & privacy

– Demonstrate need, value, & public benefits, particularly around statistical data

– Consider offering the option to opt in/out of DI where personal, sensitive, or complex data is being used

DATA INTEGRATION ACCEPTABILITY THRESHOLDS

Ambiguous & general Purpose Transparent & specific need

Insecure Security Secure

Open access Access Strict restrictions, procedures & protocols

Public/ personalised Privacy Confidential/anonymous

Private Interests Public

Subjective & biased Data & metrics Representative & meaningful

Unfair & harmful Outcomes Fair & beneficial

Less acceptable

More acceptable

THANK YOU

Contact: Jared Thomas | Behavioural Research ManagerOpus Research, Opus International Consultants Ltd

jared.thomas@opus.co.nz027 244 8574 | 04 587 0675

We would like to thank the research participants who generously gave their time and energy

to take part in this study.