Privacy Statement

Patterson Market Research and our subsidiary field company West Coast Field Services respect people’s privacy. Since our establishment in 1988 we have adhered to the Code of Professional Behaviour which is implemented by our professional association, the Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS). The Code ensures research is conducted in an ethical manner and that the rights of respondents and clients are protected.

Now Patterson Market Research and West Coast Field Services are also bound by the new amendments to the Commonwealth Privacy Act (1998) adhering to the Market and Social Research Privacy Principles (M&SRPPs) developed in response to this Act. This means that more than ever the protection of any personal information held by our companies is a high priority.

Basic Premise

The Basic Premise of all our work is that while we seek to understand what people think, do, and feel about the topics we research, we have no interest in the identity of the individuals we survey. We have no need to know the identity of the people we interview other than to ensure that they are representative of the population we are surveying. We collect name and contact details in our surveys only to enable us to validate the interview – to ensure that the data we have recorded is an accurate reflection of the opinions of the research participant. This is achieved by means of a brief call back interview conducted with 10% of each interviewer’s work. In our analysis and reporting we are interested in the totality of public opinion, rather than the opinions of any one individual.

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Legitimacy

If you would like to check the legitimacy of our company please telephone the AMSRS’s free Survey Line on 1300 364 830.

1. When we collect personal details we clearly explain (either verbally or in writing) the reasons why we need the information.
2. Our computer files and archives cannot be accessed by any third party. Further, only staff who are directly involved in a particular research project have access to any personal information relevant to that project.
3. Personal details held at Patterson Market Research and West Coast Field Services are never given to a third party without the explicit consent of the individual. Further, this type of information is never sold to a third party.
4. Finally, all personal information collected is kept only for to check the interview validity and data integrity. Any identifying information is stripped from the data files before it is archived in our databanks.

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