Matching survey responses with anonymity in environments with privacy concerns. A practical guide

• Published date: 08 October 2018
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-12-2017-0330
• Pages: 742-754
• Date: 08 October 2018
• Author: Dominik Vogel
• Subject Matter: Public policy & environmental management,Politics,Public adminstration & management

Matching survey responses with

anonymity in environments

with privacy concerns

A practical guide

Dominik Vogel

Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, University of Hamburg,

Hamburg, Germany

Abstract

Purpose –In many cases, public management researchers’focus lies in phenomena, embedded in a

hierarchical context. Conducting surveys and analyzing subsequent data require a way to identify which

responses belong to the same entity. This might be, for example, members of the same team or data from

different organizational levels. It can be very difficult to collect such data in environments marked by high

concerns for anonymity and data privacy. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a procedure for matching

survey data without compromising respondents’anonymity.

Design/methodology/approach –The paper explains the need for data collection procedures, which

preserve anonymity and lays out a process for conducting survey research that allows for responses to be

clustered, while preserving participants’anonymity.

Findings –Survey research, preserving participants’anonymity while allowing for responses to be clustered

in teams, is possible if researchers cooperate with a custodian, trusted by the participants. The custodian

assigns random identifiers to survey entities but does not get access to the data. This way neither the

researchers nor custodians are able to identify respondents. This process is described in detail and illustrated

with a factious research project.

Originality/value –Many public management research questions require responses to be clustered in

dyads, teams, departments, or organizations. The described procedure makes such research possible in

environments with privacy concerns; this is the case with many public administrations.

Keywords Data privacy, Multilevel, Survey research, Matching, Unique identifiers, Custodian

Paper type Technical paper

Why is matching important?

The embeddednessof public administrationin a multilevelstructure comprising international,

supranational, national, regional, and local organizations is a well-studied aspect of public

administration (Benz, 2015; O’Toole, 1997). Hierarchical structures, however, are not

only relevant at macro-level where organizations from different levels interact, but also at

micro-level where actors within organizations interact. Aiming to provide clear levels of

responsibility and hold members of public administration accountable for their actions,

hierarchies are a central characteristic of public administration. Max Weber (1978) defined

hierarchy as one of the building blocks of an ideal type bureaucracy. Hence, hierarchical

structures are very relevant in public management research.

Such hierarchical structures result in a situation where research entities of interest for

public management researchers are nested in a variety of contexts. Thus, the things we are

interested in are not independent of each other. They share, instead, the same context

factors (LaHuis et al., 2014; Snijders and Bosker, 1994, p. 6). Employees are nested in teams,

departments, and agencies; government-owned enterprises in municipalities; pupils in

classes and schools; and so forth. Figure 1 illustrates the clustered structure of many

populations studied in public management research. In the displayed example, individual

employees (level 1) are nested in teams with the same leader (level 2) and those teams are

again nested in organizations (level 3).

International Journal of Public

Sector Management

Vol. 31 No. 7, 2018

pp. 742-754

© Emerald PublishingLimited

0951-3558

DOI 10.1108/IJPSM-12-2017-0330

Received 7 December 2017

Revised 9 May 2018

Accepted 11 May 2018

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

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