Current research – Living With Data: knowledge, experiences and perceptions of data practices
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Living With Data: knowledge, experiences and perceptions of data practices is a research project funded by The Nuffield Foundation, which runs from September 2019 to May 2022.
The ubiquitous collection and use of digital data is changing people’s lives, positively and negatively. Concern about the harms that might result from new uses of data has led to measures to influence their governance, like the government Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) and the independent Ada Lovelace Institute (Ada). Understanding public views and how data affect people are at the heart of these initiatives, but knowledge about such matters is limited.
To ensure that data works ‘for people and society’ (Ada’s mission) and is ‘a force for good’ (a CDEI aim), we need to understand people’s knowledge and perceptions of, and thoughts and feelings about, data practices, and what they think ‘good’ or ‘fair’ data practices might look like. Living With Data: knowledge, experiences and perceptions of data practices is developing this understanding, through mixed methods research combining a survey, focus groups, interviews and a novel ‘data journeys’ approach.
Living With Data: knowledge, experiences and perceptions of data practices takes everyday, public sector data practices as a starting point for the research – these relate to health, welfare and media use. We are sharing findings with relevant stakeholders, to inform their understanding of public perceptions and their data policies and practices.
The Living With Data team is: Helen Kennedy, Jo Bates, Hannah Ditchfield, Susan Oman, Mark Taylor, Itzelle Medina-Perea, Lulu Pinney and Monika Fratczak, all at The University of Sheffield. Visit the People page to find out more about us.