Research Interviews
Click here to get involved!
Research interviews are informal chats about your experiences and views. The researcher (see our team here) will ask you about your experiences as a UK-EU couple. You do not have to prepare anything for the interview, and if there are any questions you do not want to answer you do not have to.
We conduct most interviews online (via Zoom, MS Teams or other platforms), but we are also happy to arrange face-to-face interviews in the UK if you prefer. You do not need to have Zoom, MS Teams (or other platforms) installed on your device, as they can be used through a web browser.
We aim to interview couples together, but understand that this may not always be possible, and would be happy to speak with you individually.
Before the interview, we will send you an information sheet (a copy is available here) and consent form, and we will ask you to consent either in writing or verbally (recorded at the start of the interview).
Interviews usually take about 1 – 2 hours, depending on how much you want to share with us.
During online interviews, we kindly request interviewees to switch on their camera, so that we can see each other.
We will audio-record the interview, but we do not keep video recordings. We store audio recordings securely, and delete them once they have been transcribed and anonymised.
After the interview, you will receive a UK Highstreet voucher as a thank you for your time. If you are not in the UK, we can offer a different kind of voucher.
We would like to speak to each couple or individual 3 times over 1.5 – 2 years, to follow their experiences over time. We will offer a voucher as a thank you for each interview. But we are also happy to conduct only 1 or 2 interviews, and you do not have to make a decision on future interviews before agreeing to participate.
If you want to take part in an interview, click HERE to contact us, or send an email to brexitcouples-project@bristol.ac.uk
How We Protect Your Data
How we protect your personal data
All personal information we collect is confidential, and all researchers working on the study respect the participants’ privacy and data protection rights. Some of the data that we collect may be sensitive, and we will therefore fully anonymise interview data, and store and treat personal and interview data carefully.
What happens to my personal information?
Your personal information (e.g. contact details) and research data (e.g. interview transcript) will be stored on an encrypted laptop or on a secure, password protected, University of Bristol or University of Exeter computer system. Your personal information will be stored separately from your research data. At the end of the project we will destroy your personal information (unless you agree to be contacted in future).
What happens to my interview data?
We will audio record each interview with a secure device, and may also take notes. A trusted University of Bristol supplier will transcribe interview recordings. Once the interviews have been transcribed, the audio recordings will be destroyed. We will retain the anonymised research data for future use.
The research data will be anonymised before publication or sharing beyond the project team. This means that the interview data will not be connected to your name or other identifying information. This anonymised data (e.g. quotations from interviews) will be used for reports, publications or presentations, both in academic settings, but also for policy makers, the public and the media. We will share reports and publications with you via the project website and/or email.
What if I change my mind and want to withdraw from the study?
You are free to stop your participation in the project at any time, or to withdraw your research data up to 4 weeks after each of your interviews without giving a reason, by emailing brexitcouples-project@bristol.ac.uk.
There are absolutely no penalties for stopping or withdrawing from the research. You do not have to give a reason.
We are committed to protect your data
We only use personal data in the ways described in the handed-out information sheet, with the participant’s consent, and for carrying out research in the public interest, in accordance with current Data Protection legislation.
The project has also been reviewed by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Bristol Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, and is in accordance with the University of Bristol Data Protection rules.
If you have any questions about data protection, please contact the research team at brexitcouples-project@bristol.ac.uk. Any feedback or concerns about data protection can also be relayed to the data protection officer at the University of Bristol at data-protection@bristol.ac.uk.
Further information on our interviews and how we protect your data can be found HERE.
If you want to take part in an interview, click HERE to contact us, or send an email to brexitcouples-project@bristol.ac.uk