If you have been asked to take part in the Online Opinions and Lifestyle Study

Visit our Opinions and Lifestyle study page and enter the unique access code found on your invitation letter. If you require help, please phone us for free on 0800 298 5313. You do not need any specialist knowledge to take part

If you wish to use our omnibus survey to collect your data

We can put your questions to the public.

You give us a set of questions you want to ask the population, we do the rest: designing and testing the questionnaire, undertaking the data collection, cleaning the data, and delivering you a dataset that can be used for data analysis. We offer mixed mode collection for the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, meaning respondents are invited to take part through an online self completion questionnaire alternatively if required one of our highly skilled interviewers will conduct the interview by telephone. We can collect high-quality data from a wide variety of question types and topics.

We offer

  • an achieved average sample size of 1,100 per month, of people aged 16 years and over living in private households in GB
  • a clear and transparent charging policy
  • complete flexibility – from 1 to 40 questions per module
  • a wide selection of classificatory variables (data breakdowns), including geographical, social, and employment characteristics
  • free expert advice to ensure you optimise your question design and analysis
  • monthly data collection for 8 out of 12 months (January, February, April, May, July, August, October and November)

You’ll receive

  • a respondent-level, anonymised dataset including classificatory variables for each respondent
  • a high-level survey report containing technical information, response rates, and frequency counts, and questionnaire documentation showing the routing and text for the client and classificatory variables
  • an Excel file displaying sampling errors and classificatory variables

Uses of the survey

Our methodology adheres to the Code of Practice for Statistics, and we produce a number of publications from the survey that are designated National Statistics. This sets us apart from random location, quota-based omnibus sampling approaches.

We have a proven track record in gaining insight for evidence-based development, monitoring, and evaluation in:

  • education
  • health
  • economy and taxation
  • transport
  • food safety
  • science and technology
  • social mobility
  • social and criminal justice

What can I ask?

We have space for 30 minutes of client questions for each month the survey runs. Your questions can cover almost any topic and can be opinion- or fact-based. This service is particularly useful for:

  • establishing the level of support for policy
  • evaluating the effectiveness of awareness campaigns
  • establishing social and political attitudes
  • identifying the prevalence of certain behaviours
  • evaluating levels of service satisfaction
  • measuring consumption of goods or services
  • testing or piloting questions before they are used in larger-scale surveys

Further information

For further information on the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, please see the methodology guide and the quality and methodology information report. The Opinions and Lifestyle Survey: mixed mode pilot analysis article presents an overview of the comprehensive programme of research and testing that has been conducted to inform the transformation of the survey