Informed consent

Informed consent is a participant's voluntary agreement to take part in research after being told what the study is about, what participation involves, what risks and benefits it has, how their data will be used and that they can stop at any time. In survey research it is usually given on the first screen of the questionnaire, before any questions. It protects participants and is required by research ethics committees (IRBs in the US) for most studies involving people.

The principle goes back to research ethics codes such as the Belmont Report (1979), which names three elements of consent: information, comprehension and voluntariness. People must get the facts, understand them and be free to say no.

What a consent statement should include

• Who is running the study: the researcher or organization and a contact for questions.
• Purpose of the study in plain language.
• What participation involves: the type of questions and how long the survey takes.
• Risks and benefits, including discomfort from sensitive questions, or a clear statement that risks are minimal.
• Voluntary participation: people may skip questions they do not want to answer (where the design allows it) and stop at any time without consequences.
• Confidentiality or anonymity: whether answers can be linked to the person, who will see them and how results will be reported.
• Data use and retention: what the data will be used for and how long it is kept.
• Compensation, if any, and the conditions for receiving it.
• Ethics approval and a contact for the ethics committee, if your institution requires it.
• A clear consent action: "I agree to take part" and "I do not agree".

Example consent statement for an online survey

Study on remote work habits

You are invited to take part in a study by [researcher, institution] about how people organize remote work. The survey takes about 10 minutes and asks about your work routine and tools.

Taking part is voluntary. You can skip any question or close the survey at any time without giving a reason. There are no known risks beyond those of everyday life.

Your answers are anonymous: we do not ask for your name or contact details, and results are reported only in aggregate. Anonymous answers cannot be withdrawn after you submit them, because we cannot identify them. The data will be stored for [period] and used only for this study and related publications.

Questions? Contact [name, email]. This study was approved by [ethics committee, reference number].

○ I have read this information and agree to take part
○ I do not agree

A ready-made survey consent form template includes an information sheet, five consent statements and an optional follow-up. Have the final wording approved by your ethics committee.

How to collect consent in an online survey

1. Put the information on the welcome screen or the first page, before any study questions.
2. Add a required consent question with "I agree" and "I do not agree". Do not pre-select an answer.
3. Use logic so that "I do not agree" ends the survey politely and no further answers are collected.
4. Offer a way to save or download the information, or repeat the contact details on the final screen.
5. For separate permissions, such as a follow-up interview or audio recording, ask separate questions.

In SurveyNinja, logic that ends the survey works on all plans, including Free, so an "I do not agree" answer can close the survey right away.

Research consent and data protection consent

Ethical consent to take part in a study and "consent" as a legal basis under data protection law, such as the EU's GDPR, are related but not the same. Under the GDPR, consent is one of six legal bases for processing personal data. Universities and public bodies often rely on another basis, such as a task in the public interest, while still collecting ethical informed consent. If you collect names, emails or other identifiers, check with your data protection officer or ethics office which basis applies and what the privacy notice must say. If you do rely on GDPR consent, it must be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous, which rules out pre-ticked boxes.

Special cases

• Anonymous surveys: many ethics committees accept implied consent for minimal-risk anonymous online surveys, where continuing after the information page counts as agreement, and waive a signature. An explicit "I agree" button is still the clearer choice.
• Children: research with minors usually needs a parent's or guardian's permission plus the child's own assent in age-appropriate language. The age limits depend on the country and the ethics framework.
• Employees and students: when the researcher has power over participants, stress that taking part or declining has no effect on grades, evaluations or employment, and prefer anonymous surveys.
• Deception studies: when the full purpose cannot be disclosed in advance, ethics committees require a debriefing afterward.

Common mistakes

• A wall of legal text. People click through without reading. Keep the main points short and link to details.
• Pre-selected "I agree". Consent must be an active choice.
• Bundling permissions, such as study participation and marketing emails in one checkbox.
• Promising anonymity while collecting identifiers. If you ask for email addresses or several detailed demographics in a small group, answers may be identifiable. Say "confidential" instead and explain who can see the data.
• Promising withdrawal you cannot deliver. Anonymous answers cannot be traced after submission, so say so in the statement.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need informed consent for a short customer feedback survey?

Customer feedback surveys run by a company are usually not research in the ethics-committee sense, but people should still know who is asking, why, how long it takes and how answers will be used. If you collect personal data, data protection rules apply and a privacy notice is required.

Can I use answers from someone who did not consent?

In a research study, no. Set up the survey so that declining ends it before any data is collected.

What if a participant withdraws after submitting?

If answers can be linked to the person, delete them as promised in the consent statement. Under the GDPR, requests from data subjects must be answered without undue delay and within one month. Results already published in aggregate usually cannot be changed.