Winter Lifestyle Study

This study is now closed.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is carrying out this important study about how you have been affected by topics of national importance over the winter. The study will ask you about a range of topics including health and the cost of living.
Some of the questions may be the same as you previously answered as part of the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey. This is because we want to understand changes in society over time. We would like to know about your current situation, even if nothing has changed since the last time you took part.

The information we collect from this study will help government departments, charities and public bodies make decisions and will help inform and plan for future policy decisions. This is your unique opportunity to tell us about your experiences. Your responses will provide information not available from any other sources. Do not miss your chance to have your say. You will also be offered a £10 gift voucher to say thank you once you have completed the study.

The study will cover a range of topics, including:

• your health and well-being

• your experience of contacting your GP practice

• the impact of cost of living on your life

The questions we ask can be based on both facts and opinions.

There are no difficult questions, and we have made sure you do not need any specialist knowledge to take part. There are no right or wrong answers – your honest responses are vital for us to produce reliable statistics about our whole society.

We respect your right to a private life – the information you provide in this study will not be used to identify you in any way. If you are uncomfortable with any of the questions you are asked, you can always leave them out.

Do I have to answer all the questions?

Answering the questions is voluntary. If you do not want to answer some or any of the questions, you do not have to. Please answer as many questions as you can, to ensure that your experiences and circumstances are counted.

Your personal information will remain confidential.

The details you provide will be combined with those of everyone else taking part so we can produce statistics. Any data we publish will never identify you or your household.

We do not sell on your data and you will not receive junk mail or marketing calls as a result of taking part in one of our studies.

If you want to know more, please see the section about our commitment to protecting your data.

You should have received a letter inviting you to take part and introducing the study.

Your letter will include all the instructions and login details you will need. This study is available for you to complete at any time until the closing date stated in your letter.

We design our studies with you in mind and keep them as short as possible. We only collect the information we need to better understand our society. Your response is really important to us.

Once you have completed the study, we will combine the answers you give us with everybody else's. We then use these data to produce statistics.

This study is being carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which is the country's largest producer of statistics. The ONS also plan and run the census in England and Wales.

We are:

• independent, unbiased and impartial: we are separate from other organisations and do not allow anything to influence the statistics we publish

• the only organisation that produces official statistics as a primary role: we have no additional interest in the information we collect

• only interested in society as a whole, and not you as an individual: statistics represent groups of people; we remove your personal details as we are not interested in singling you out

We are not:

• a commercial or market research organisation: we do not work for profit and will not try to sell you anything

• associated with any political parties: we produce official statistics, no matter who the Prime Minister or political party in government is

• going to sell on your data under any circumstances: we value your involvement in our studies and do not profit from your data; you will not receive any "junk mail" as a result of taking part

• monitoring you, as the data you give are only used for producing statistics: we will not use your information to contact you about other matters such as your tax, income or benefits, and we will not provide your information to anyone else for them to do so either

Read more about what we do at the ONS.

You have been invited to take part as you previously took part in a study run by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is not possible to ask everyone to take part in our ongoing studies; instead, we invite a sample of individuals or households, which makes sure we represent everyone.

Whoever you are, whatever you do, we want to hear from you. We cannot ask anyone else to take your place.

If you have received a letter inviting you to take part in the study, go to the "Start now" button at the top of this page. When asked, enter the personal access code that appears on your letter.

When do I need to complete the study by?

You should aim to complete the study by the date shown on your invitation letter.

Where can I find my code to access the online study?

The personal access code for completing the study online is printed on the invitation letter you should have received. When you go to https://www.ons.gov.uk/winterstudy and click "Start now", you will be prompted to enter the 12-digit code printed on the letter.

Can I take a break part way through?

Yes, your progress saves automatically when completing the study. You can close the browser window containing the study whenever you like – your progress will be saved.

When you are ready to continue filling in the study, return to the study login page at https://www.ons.gov.uk/winterstudy. Sign in with the same personal access code and you will be returned to where you left off.

I do not have access to the internet, but I want to take part

If you have access to the internet via a smartphone or other means (such as via a local library or internet café), you will be able to take part in the study. If you do not have access to the internet, please call for free on +44 800 085 7376 to make an appointment to take part.

Why have I not received an invite, and how do I get one?

To ensure the study is valid, only those selected to participate in the study will have received an invitation letter with a link to the study and their 12-digit personal access code.

We hope we have explained just how important your response is to us and the value of your information in producing reliable statistics for decision-making. If you missed this, or need a refresher, see our section on Why you should take part.

It is your chance to have your voice heard. If you are still not convinced, you do not have to take part if you do not want to. For us to paint an accurate picture of our society, it is vital that we hear from as many people as possible, from all walks of life.

In many other countries, it is compulsory for selected individuals to take part. We are giving you the choice to make a difference.

Can I take part in the study in another way other than online?

This study is mainly online. However, if you do not have access to the internet, you can book an appointment for a telephone interview by calling our Survey Enquiry Line on +44 800 085 7376.

Can I complete the study in Welsh?

If you wish to complete the study in Welsh, please call +44 800 496 2119 to make an appointment to take part. You will then be called back by an interviewer who will help you take part in Welsh.

Unfortunately, there is not currently an online version of the Welsh study.

Can I complete the study in another language?

Currently, the study is only available in English and Welsh. If you wish to complete in Welsh, please call +44 800 496 2119.

I have completed the online study but I want to change my answers; what do I do?

If you have submitted your response but would like to change your answers, please call for free on +44 800 085 7376 or email surveyfeedback@ons.gov.uk to let us know.

I have lost my login details needed to complete the study online. Can I have these again?

If you have lost your letter with your personal access code to complete the study, please call our Survey Enquiry Line on +44 800 085 7376 or email surveyfeedback@ons.gov.uk.

Because of data confidentiality restrictions, we are not able to supply a personal access code over the telephone. In some instances, we can send your personal access code via email.

We will only send personal access codes to the email address that we already have on our system.

How can I tell whether my answers have been successfully submitted?

Access the study again using the personal access code that you submitted your answers with. If you have successfully submitted your answers, you will see a page saying the study is complete.

How we have selected you

Your address was obtained from a commercially available source called AddressBase, which is maintained by the Ordnance Survey. It contains details for 40 million residential and business addresses in the UK.

Your address was randomly selected to take part in a previous study. Upon completion of this study, you supplied your contact details to us for potential participation in future studies. Full details of the source of your contact details can be obtained by calling +44 800 085 7376 for free or by emailing surveyfeedback@ons.gov.uk.

We cannot ask another individual to take your place in this study as this would affect how representative our study is.

Will I be identifiable in the results?

No, the information you submit will be treated as confidential as directed by the Code of Practice for Statistics. Any statistics or results produced will not identify you or anyone in your household.

Will anyone else see my answers?

The personal access code is unique to you only. Please keep your code safe. Once you have submitted a completed study, the answers can no longer be accessed using your personal access code.

How will you use the information I provide?

Your personal information will remain confidential.

The details you provide will be combined with those of everyone else taking part so we can produce statistics. Any data we publish will never identify you or your household.

We do not sell on your data, and you will not receive junk mail or marketing calls as a result of taking part in one of our studies.

How long will you keep the information I provide?

The information you provide will not identify you or your household and we will only keep your information for as long as it is being used to produce statistics, in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

What precautions for data protection and confidentiality have been taken?

The Office for National Statistics adheres to the Code of Practice for Statistics, the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 and processes all personal information with respect, keeping it secure and confidential. If you have a question about how we process your personal data or want to find out more about your rights under data protection legislation, please see our data protection page.

How do you ensure my personal information is held securely?

We take our responsibilities to keep your personal information secure very seriously. As such, we take every reasonable precaution to ensure your information is protected from loss, theft or misuse. These precautions include appropriate physical security of our offices, controlled access to computer systems, and use of secure, encrypted internet connections when collecting personal information.

Cookies

Some online studies collect information through the use of cookies. These are small files stored on your computer. These files are used sparingly and only for quality control and validation and, more importantly, to prevent us sending you reminders for an online study you have already completed. It is possible for you to delete cookies or to prevent their use by adjusting the browser settings on your computer.

We also automatically capture information about your operating system, display settings and browser type to ensure that the study is delivered in a form suited to the software your computer is using. We do not capture any other information from your computer.

You can read about the commitments the Office for National Statistics (ONS) makes to those taking part in its surveys in our ONS respondent charter for surveys of households and individuals.

If you have a question about how we process your personal data or want to find out more about your rights under data protection legislation, please see our data protection page.

Sometimes, we collect information on behalf of another organisation. For more information about how your data will be treated in these circumstances, please go to the household and individual surveys page to read about the survey that you have been selected for.

At the ONS, we take seriously our responsibility to the public. It is our policy that we will tell the appropriate authority if we believe there is a serious risk to someone's safety.

We would appreciate your suggestions on how we can improve any of our studies. It would also be great to hear from you if you are happy with the service you have received. You can email us at surveyfeedback@ons.gov.uk.

If you have queries, please call our Survey Enquiry Line on +44 800 085 7376.

Minicom users should dial 18001 before this number. The opening times are:

Monday to Friday 8:00am to 7:00pm
Saturday 8:00am to 1:00pm

Useful links

Information Commissioners Office

We sometimes share selected information with our service providers to help us run our surveys. We only share the personal details they need to know. To find out more about each service provider's commitment while they are handling your information, please visit their websites.

In this study, we work with other organisations to provide the following services:

• sending a thank you gift, our service provider for this is Sodexo

• helping us get in touch with you, our service provider for this is GovNotify