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Data Collection Ethics Planning

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Data Collection Ethics Planning

A local youth centre wants to understand how Year 11 students travel to activities after school. You are planning a survey, not running one. Make choices that produce useful data while respecting participants and their rights. In Aotearoa New Zealand, consider privacy, informed consent, fairness, and the responsibilities involved in collecting and using data about people. Explain your reasoning where asked.

Part A: Plan a fair investigation

Use the youth-centre travel survey scenario for Questions 1–6.

1.The youth centre wants to describe travel modes used by Year 11 students who attend its activities. Which group best matches the population the centre is asking about?

All people in Aotearoa New Zealand
All Year 11 students who attend the youth centre’s activities
Only students who travel by bus
The youth-centre staff

2.The centre has a list of eligible attendees. Describe a practical way to select a sample of 40 students that is less likely to over-represent students who attend on one particular day.

3.Which survey question is least leading and most likely to collect useful data about a student’s most recent journey to the centre?

Don’t you agree that taking the bus is the easiest way to get here?
Why do you always make someone drive you?
How did you travel to the centre most recently? Choose one: walked, cycled, public transport, car, other; prefer not to say.
Which environmentally unfriendly way did you use to get here?

4.Some students may not want to answer questions about who drives them or where they live. State two steps the survey team should take to support informed, voluntary participation.

5.The team proposes recording each student’s name, home address, exact travel route, and travel mode. Identify one privacy risk and suggest a less identifying way to collect the information needed for the investigation.

Part B: Check the data and its use

A pilot survey asked 12 students how they travelled to the centre most recently. The recorded responses are shown below. No names were collected.

Response number

Travel mode

When surveyed

Car

Tuesday

Bus

Tuesday

Walk

Tuesday

Car

Tuesday

Bus

Tuesday

Car

Tuesday

Car

Tuesday

Bus

Tuesday

Walk

Tuesday

Car

Tuesday

Bus

Thursday

Car

Thursday

6.How many of the 12 pilot respondents travelled by car? Give the proportion as a percentage.

7.The pilot survey was mostly carried out on Tuesday, and only two responses were collected on Thursday. Explain one possible way this timing could bias the results.

8.True or false: Because the pilot included 12 responses and collected no names, its results are automatically representative and completely free of privacy risk. Explain your choice.

9.Write two questions you would ask about a secondary dataset before using it to make claims about Year 11 students’ travel to the youth centre.

10.The centre wants to publish a summary. Give one responsible reporting choice and explain why it matters, including how you would treat data that could be culturally sensitive or identify a small group.