Privacy notice templates for surveys

If your survey collects personal data (whether directly or indirectly), you must include a privacy notice at the beginning.

What is personal data?
Under the UK GDPR, personal data is any information that can identify an individual, directly or indirectly. This includes:

• Name
• Identification number
• Location data
• Online identifiers
• Factors related to physical, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity

Source: Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) 2025

Does your survey require a privacy notice?

1. Your survey directly asks for personal data (e.g. email address).
   • You must include a privacy notice.
2. Your survey does not directly ask for personal data but may indirectly identify individuals through a combination of responses to free text and/or non-free text questions (e.g. employer name and job title).
   • You must include a privacy notice.
3. Your survey does not ask for personal data and a combination of responses to free text and/or non-free text questions cannot be used to identify individuals.
   • A privacy notice is not required.

Add a privacy notice

If your survey requires a privacy notice (points 1 or 2), you must complete the relevant template, which you can download below, and get approval.

Once approved, copy and paste your privacy notice into a Note on the first page of your survey. A Note allows you to add text, images, and media.

Survey Service staff cannot complete or obtain approval of your privacy notice for you — you must do this yourself.