Investigators
Romana Burgess, Poppy Taylor, Anya Skatova
Abstract
Supermarket loyalty cards provide a unique snapshot into purchasing patterns and preference. In the age of data-driven research, it is essential to consider the ethical perspective of working with such personal and identifying data. As such, this research considers the role of participant consent regarding the sharing of supermarket loyalty card data.
We will work with data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parent and Children (ALSPAC), leveraging responses from a 2018 survey which looked into loyalty card ownership and usage. In this survey, 65.4% of 4,462 respondents reported ownership of a major UK supermarket loyalty card, and 88.4% expressed potential willingness to share this data with ALSPAC. Today, these same participants have been asked to consent to share this data for a handful of supermarkets.
The primary objective of this research is to evaluate the evolution of consent from the initial survey to the present day, looking into potential moderators such as gender and education. This investigation not only addresses methodological gaps, but also enhances our understanding of transparent and ethical use of consumer data in research.
Resources
Skatova, A. & Boyd A. A protocol for linking participants’ retailer ‘loyalty card’ records into the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Wellcome Open Res 2023, 8:99 (https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.18900.1)