What is the most detailed geographical level I can analyse the data at?
Most survey datasets contain one or more geographical variables e.g. place of residence, place of work. In many data collections the most detailed geographical variable available is a Government Office Region (GOR) variable which allows researchers to identify broad regions, for example ‘South East’, ‘South West, ‘North East’, ‘North West’. See Government Office Regions on the National Statistics website for more information. Most survey participants are informed that their responses will only be passed on to researchers under certain conditions and that the data will be fully anonymised. Including more detailed geographical variables in a data collection, although still anonymised, can increase the risk of data disclosure. However, it is recognised that some researchers need access to more detailed data, and we do have some data collections that are detailed, yet anonymised. Since these data pose a higher risk of disclosure, they have additional special conditions attached to them tha
