Welcome to the survey for the research project PATCHWORK: A Network Science Approach to Social Cohesion in European Societies!
What is the PATCHWORK study about?
The PATCHWORK research project is led by Prof. Miranda Lubbers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and funded by the European Research Council. This project aims to study personal relationships in European societies and how different groups of people relate to each other.
To better understand social cohesion in these societies, a survey will be conducted in four European countries. However, the success of the survey depends on people like you participating in the pretest.
By participating in the survey, you can provide valuable information about social topics, including your opinions on society and your personal relationships. Your contribution will help us tell the story of social cohesion in our nations.
Why have I been invited?
We randomly select addresses from all parts of the four countries, to invite a total of 6,000 citizens to participate in this survey (approximately 1,500 from your country). Drawing a large sample in this way allows us to contact with very diverse people, to ensure a good representation of the population.
What does my participation involve?
If you agree to participate, you will be asked to respond to the survey, either in person or through a video interview. Participation in the survey is entirely voluntary, and you don't have to participate if you don't want to. If you do decide to participate, you'll be asked to sign a consent form. After that, you're still free to withdraw at any time and without giving a reason.
The interview works as follows: The interviewer will read the questions to you, and you can give your answers, which will be directly entered in the computer. Some questions are about you and your opinions about the society, and others are about your acquaintances, people you know both face-to-face or on social media. If you feel uncomfortable about any question, you may skip it and move on to the next question. The interview will take approximately an hour.
You will be asked at the end whether we could contact you again within a year for a follow-up interview, which will be more conversational. We will only contact a small number of persons in this second phase. You do not have to agree to be contacted. Furthermore, agreeing to be contacted now does not oblige you in any way to participate in the interview later. You can decide about that when we contact you. All personal contact details will be deleted at the end of project.
What happens with the information I provide?
Your answers will be handled confidentially. Your name or contact details will be kept separately from the database with your survey responses. In the database, only a number will identify you. Only the involved researchers can know what those numbers mean, and this information will be kept securely on the university’s password-protected database for maximally two years. After that, your name and contact details will be permanently erased. The members of the research team with access to these data have signed an agreement of confidentiality.
Although we ask questions about your social relationships, we will not ask you to identify any of your contacts personally. That is, we will not ask you to give their surnames, addresses, or any other personal identifiers. We do not seek to identify or contact these persons.
The only exception to confidentiality is if you tell us something that makes us concerned that your safety or anyone else’s is at risk. If this happens, we are required by law to inform the relevant authority. If this is necessary, we will always inform you first that we are going to do this and keep you informed.
The anonymised data will be used in the production of research output such as journal articles, doctoral theses or conference presentations. Furthermore, they will be deposited in a repository to make them publicly available to other researchers after minimally two years, under a license that prevents commercial uses.
What are possible risks and benefits?
There are no anticipated risks or direct benefits of participation to you. Still, your participation is likely to help us to find out more about social cohesion in our countries and how we can strengthen it. If you feel uncomfortable about any question, you may skip it and move on to the next question.
Compensation
You will receive a small compensation for your time.
Rights of research participants
You are not waiving any legal claims or rights because you are participating in this research study.
You may withdraw your consent at any time and discontinue your participation without having to explain why, and without consequences. If you wish to withdraw your data from the research before the data are anonymised in our records on [date], please contact the research team (see our contact details below).
Data protection privacy note
Your data will be processed in accordance with the European General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 for the following purposes. The legal basis used to process your personal data is the performance of a task in the public interest. The legal basis used to process special category personal data will be for scientific and historical research or statistical purposes.
The Autonomous University of Barcelona is the data controller for the information you provide. This means that the University is responsible for looking after your information, using it appropriately, and responding to any request from you about your data. The University’s Data Protection Officer is Mr. Agustí Verde Parera and you can contact him at proteccio.dades@uab.cat, for any questions, concerns, and requests about your personal data. You can also contact him if you want to exercise your rights to access the data held about you, to correct them or withdraw them from the project (see also https://www.uab.cat/web/about-the-uab/itineraries/data-protection/data-protection-policy-1345828638161.html). If you remain unsatisfied, you can lodge a complaint with the Catalan Data Protection Authority (http://apdcat.gencat.cat/en/contact).
Where can I learn more about the research?
The website you are currently visiting contains more information about the research and the team. We will also share the results of the study here.
Further information and contact
This research has received ethical approval by the Ethics Committee (CEEAH) of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, on 31/05/2021 (ID 5675).
If you have any questions or would like to know more about the study, you can contact the research team here.