Your data
Learn about the type of data we collect and how we protect it.
Information we collect
The Growing Up in Australia study collects important information about the life trajectories of young people through surveys and other existing administrative databases. We follow the same participants over time to track how they are going. Policy makers and researchers use this information to develop services and programs to help improve the development and wellbeing of young people in the future.
We collect a range of information about our participants including:
- family demographics
- social and emotional outcomes
- education
- relationships
- health
- finances.
How your data is stored
To ensure information is kept secure, we use strong encryption technology. This means that the information you provide is only accessed by study team members authorised to do so.
Our fieldwork provider, Roy Morgan, ensures your data is stored securely in Australia in line with the standards set by:
Your contact information will be securely stored for 7 years at the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) following the completion of the study. After this period, records will be destroyed in a manner appropriate to the security classification of the record content. If the organisation responsible for future data collection phases of the study changes, AIFS will be required to disclose your information to that organisation.
For more information about how we protect your privacy see our privacy page.
How your data is used
Roy Morgan collects primary data from you through surveys and interviews. The Growing Up in Australia data is then de-identified and approved for use by data users such as researchers and policy makers from universities, service providers, not-for-profit organisations and government departments. This data can be used to help government, service providers and not-for-profit organisations to improve services and programs that benefit the development and wellbeing of children and families in Australia.
All data is de-identified when released, and only combined results (aggregate) are published. We have stringent data sharing and review procedures in place to ensure data is only accessible via the Australian Data Archive (ADA) at the Australian National University (ANU). The ADA is a secure data-storage facility.
All approved users of Growing Up in Australia study data sign a deed of confidentiality that prohibits them from trying to identify any participants or sharing any potentially identifiable information.
Data linkage
Data linkage is the process of combining various data sources to produce a picture of what has been happening in your life. You can’t be identified when our specialists do this.
With your permission, we’d like to link your Growing Up in Australia data to some other data sources to expand the range and improve the quality of data we collect. Linking your responses with existing data also means we can ask fewer questions in the survey, saving time for you.
When your survey data is linked to government data such as university, Vocational Education Training (VET) and Services Australia – Centrelink data, researchers get accurate information on a wide range of health, education and social service use that they wouldn’t normally have access to. This helps them understand how different factors affect young people’s lives. For example, when combined with demographic, social and health information in Growing Up on Australia:
- Researchers can understand what important factors or events throughout a young person’s life influences their choices for post-school study (university and VET).
- Information on Centrelink payments received from Services Australia can be used to examine the impact of this support on reducing financial hardship and improving quality of life. This helps us understand whether payment support options are helpful to young people in their day-to-day lives, and whether they are effective in addressing their needs and reducing the impact of intergenerational disadvantage.
See a digital copy of the Data Linkage brochure and other participant information sheets:
- Centrelink participant information sheet
- Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training participant information sheet.